MEDIA INFORMATION
The Vanderbilt Athletic Communications office welcomes your interest
in the Vanderbilt women’s basketball program. We will make every
effort to meet your needs throughout the season. Following is information and guidelines to help you during the season and allow our
coaches and players to adhere to their schedules.

Athletic Communications Staff

Credentials
The Vanderbilt Athletic Communications office issues season media credentials to authorized full-time or specified representatives of media outlets
who cover Vanderbilt basketball on a regular basis. Single-game credentials
also will be available for media who cover the team less frequently, should
space allow. Please e-mail or fax credential requests on company letterhead
to the attention of women’s basketball contact, Ryan Schulz.
Credential Pick-Up
Credentials are available for pick-up at “Media Will Call” located near the
playing floor at Memorial Gymnasium. Those media wishing to access “Media
Will Call” should enter the service tunnel located at the end of Lot 71 behind
the outfield wall of Vanderbilt’s Hawkins Field baseball stadium. Proceed
through the tunnel until you arrive at the “Media Will Call” table. If enough
advance notice is given, credentials can be mailed or sent via next-day carrier
at the expense of the media organization making the request.
Media Parking
Media parking is located inside the 25th Avenue parking garage located
at the corner of 25th Avenue and Jess Neely Drive. After parking, please enter
Memorial Gymnasium through the service tunnel entrance located at the end
of Lot 71 behind the outfield wall of Vanderbilt’s Hawkins Field baseball stadium. Vehicles parked in Lot 71 without the proper parking pass will be towed.

2

Vanderbilt Women’s Basketball 2011

Brandon Barca

Andy Boggs

Larry Leathers

Kyle Parkinson

Communications
Intern

Assistant Director

Chris Weinman
Assistant Director

Media Workroom
Memorial Gymnasium’s media workroom is located in the northeast corner
of the facility, nearest the opponents’ bench. This room will serve as a place
for pregame meals as well as an area for the media to work after the game.
The room is equipped with both telephone and data ports.

Postgame Interview Format
The Vanderbilt locker room is closed to media following the game. After
a 10-minute cooling off period, Coach Balcomb will hold a press conference
in the postgame media interview room located near the pregame meal room
in the southwest corner of Memorial Gym. After Coach Balcomb, the opposing head coach will be brought to the interview room, followed by requested
Vanderbilt players. Please make your player requests to the Vanderbilt Media
Relations Office.

Laina Balafas

Assistant Director

Media Seating
Media covering Vanderbilt basketball games are seated at various locations inside Memorial Gymnasium. 1.) A select number of seats are available
on the floor, usually reserved for Nashville beatwriters and radio crews from
both schools. 2.) An additional 20 seats are available inside Suite 5 located on
the northside concourse, reserved for media following the visiting team and
Nashville radio and television media. 3.) More than 40 seats are available in
the third-level pressbox for additional media seating needs.

General Communications Possibilities
Media sitting in any location inside Memorial Gymnasium have access to
the Internet via wireless connection. If you do not have capabilities for such
access, please contact Ryan Schulz days prior to your arrival at Memorial
Gymnasium. A select number of data lines are available.
A limited number of phones are available for local and calling card calls.
Please contact a member of the media relations staff if you need your own
phone. A fax machine is also available on press row.

MEDIA INFORMATION
Road Interview Policy
Vanderbilt’s locker room will be closed to the media at road venues.
Following a cooling off period, Coach Balcomb and selected Commodore
players will be available outside of the Vanderbilt locker room or in a formal
postgame press conference at the discretion of the home SID.
Visiting Radio
ISDN and telephone lines are provided for visiting broadcasts. A limited
number of telephone lines are available at the various media seating locations throughout the gymnasium.

General Media Policies
Interviewing the Commodores
Please coordinate all requests for player and coach interviews through
Vanderbilt women’s basketball athletic communications director Ryan Schulz
at least 24 hours in advance. Media should not contact a player or coach
directly.

Guidelines for Granting Media Credentials to Online
Media Representatives
The following is a set of guidelines that the Vanderbilt University Athletic
Communications Office will use as a basis for issuing media credentials to
independent online media representatives (bloggers). Overall, Vanderbilt
University strives to work with individuals who adhere to professional standards, demonstrate transparency in their operations, and regularly produce
quality content. While what follows shall serve as a guideline, they may be
altered for certain events when necessary and are subject to regulations set
forth by the Southeastern Conference and/or the NCAA.
• Individuals associated with a web-only media outlet may apply for credentials on a game-by-game basis unless otherwise specified. Requests for
credentials must be sent via e-mail, fax or in writing to the requested Athletic
Communications Director and be received at least three (3) business days
prior to the event. Request should include applicant’s legal name, company or
blog they are representing, a mailing address and website address.

Practice Coverage
Vanderbilt players and coaches are available for interviews prior to
practices on designated days. Practice schedules are sent via e-mail to
media multiple times each week during the season to help facilitate coverage. Contact Ryan Schulz if you wish to receive these updates. Player interviews typically begin 45 minutes before practice at Memorial Gymnasium.
Interviews with Coach Balcomb follow. Media are typically allowed to attend
practices. Gameday walk-throughs are closed to the media at both Memorial
Gymnasium and all road venues.

• The Athletic Communications Office requires that a requesting outlet possess its own domain name (.com, .net, etc.) and will not accept requests from
sites based on free services (blogspot, wordpress, etc.).

www.VUCommodores.com
The official web site of Vanderbilt Student Athletics has all of your information needs. Pregame notes, including updated statistics, can be easily
downloaded in PDF format. Following each contest is a game summary, boxscore, and postgame notes and quotes.

• In the interest of protecting the Vanderbilt University fan base, we require
that all applicants that give users ability to submit comments and/or place
cookies on user’s computers supply a privacy policy that describes in full
how the data collected through such activities is used or disseminated.

Vanderbilt Games on the Radio and Internet
Vanderbilt basketball can be heard live on WNSR-AM 560. Selected
games will also be carried on networks of affiliate stations across the midstate area.
Charlie Mattos returns for his 17th year as the voice of the Commodores.
All games will be streamed and archived on the internet at the Commodores’
official web site, vucommodores.com.
You can also keep up with the Commodores on the internet through
Gametracker live stats. Just check the women’s basketball schedule page
for the “live stats” link for a running box score throughout the game.
Photography
All photographers are restricted to the designated areas along the baseline opposite the home and visitor benches and must sign an affidavit agreeing to the SEC’s new policy concerning photography. Strobe lights may not
be installed in Memorial Gymnasium without permission from the Vanderbilt
Athletic Communications office. When using photo images provided by
the Vanderbilt Athletic Communications office, please credit: Vanderbilt
Photography.

• First time applicants must submit traffic/subscriber data from an independent source in order to be considered. Sites with fewer than 25,000 legitimate
unique visitors per month are not eligible for football or men’s basketball
credentialing. Sites with fewer than 7,500 legitimate unique visitors per month
are not eligible for women’s basketball credentialing.

• Athletic Communications seeks to perpetuate the program and sport being
credentialed and therefore prefers to work with online media outlets with an
established track record covering our school, our conference or the requested sport. In the request, please provide a short summary of previous relevant
experience, if any.
• As a general guideline, we would like to work with outlets that have been
in continuous operation for at least 3-6 months. Additionally, an average of
3-5 substantive postings per week is expected in season from applicant web
sites.
• Obtaining media credentials is an opportunity to interview players and
team officials for legitimate media purposes only. Bloggers who are granted
access to the press box and other areas inside the venue are expected to act
professionally and adhere to all SEC and NCAA-mandated media guidelines
at all times.
• The standard of professionalism also extends to content posted on the
requesting website, whether posted by the requester, user or other agent.
Profanity, racial or sexual comments will not be tolerated from credentialed
outlets.
• No credentials will be issued to individuals under the age of 18.
• Vanderbilt University reserves the right of its personnel to deny or revoke
credentials without notice and an individual shall surrender their credential
upon request for violating the policies and/or safety procedures of security
personnel, Vanderbilt University, the Southeastern Conference, or the NCAA.

bilt’s women’s basketball team is primed
for another trip to the Big Dance in
2011. Buoyed by a strong senior class
comprised of first team All-SEC point
guard Jence Rhoads, four-year starting
forward Hannah Tuomi and veteran
post player Rebecca Silinski, Vanderbilt
returns a strong nucleus of talent that led
an undersized Vanderbilt team to a 23-11
(9-7 SEC) record and a trip to the second
round of the NCAA Tournament, where it
lost on a late basket at Xavier.
Under the direction of ninth-year Head
Coach Melanie Balcomb, the Commodores will look to take another step
forward in 2011. Also returning for the
Commodores are junior forward Jordan
Coleman, sophomore forward Tiffany
Clarke and sophomore guards Elan Brown
and Gabby Smith. Brown and Clarke
earned freshman All-SEC honors last year
and all four players earned multiple starts
in 2010. The sophomore duo is part of an
underclassmen contingent that makes up
nine out of the 14 members of the team.
Vanderbilt’s roster will also be infused
with the addition of seven newcomers
to the lineup. The group of newcomers includes a couple of familiar faces in
junior guard Angela Puleo, who sat out last
season after transferring from Georgia and
redshirt freshman center Stephanie Holzer,
who missed her first season due to injury.
The remaining newcomers make up
Vanderbilt’s five-member freshman class
that is comprised of guards Christina
Foggie (Mount Laurel, N.J.) and Jasmine
Lister (Corona, Calif.), forwards Tori
Jarosz (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.) and Clair
Watkins (Matthews, N.C.) and center
Kayci Ferriss (Carthage, Tenn.).
The combination of a strong core of
experienced players and a talented group of
newcomers has the Commodores primed

6

for their 12th straight 20-win season.
“I’m excited about the young players,
but what’ I’ve been most impressed with
is the improvement of the returners,”
Balcomb said.
In one season, the Commodores have
been transformed from one of the shortest
to one of the tallest teams. Four of the
team’s seven newcomers are 6-foot-3 or
taller.
“This is the tallest team I’ve ever had
and it is the best-conditioned team I’ve
had,” Balcomb said. “They always say you
should be able to tell your guards from
your posts by looking at them on the court.
We got to a point where we were all small,
but now our guards are big and our posts
are big.”
Schedule
Vanderbilt’s 29-game schedule features
18 games against 14 teams that reached
the 2010 postseason. The Commodores
will open their schedule with a nonconference slate that features seven teams
that advanced to the postseason last year.
Vanderbilt will also play six non-conference games on the road before starting
league play Jan. 2 at Ole Miss.
The non-conference schedule is highlighted by a game at 2010 NCAA regional
finalist Florida State and “hometown”
games at Denver for senior Hannah Tuomi
(Thornton, Colo.) and at Duquesne for
Jence Rhoads (Slippery Rock, Pa.) and
Rebecca Silinski (born in Pittsburgh, Pa.).
“We want to prepare ourselves for the
postseason as best we can with our schedule,” Balcomb said. “It’s my job to have us
prepared to go into SEC play by having
been through a pressure situation or a close
game in the non-conference, and I don’t
think I’m doing the kids justice if I’m just
trying to schedule wins.”
The conference slate includes 10 games
on television, including an appearance on

Vanderbilt Women’s Basketball 2011

ESPN’s College GameDay Jan. 15 at Tennessee. The game will be a doubleheader
with the men’s program, which plays at
Tennessee at 11 a.m. CT the same day. The
historic date will mark the first doubleheader in the show’s history and will also
be just the second women’s game featured
on GameDay.
Vanderbilt’s schedule includes two
regular season tournaments. The Commodores will host their annual Thanksgiving
Tournament Nov. 26 and 28 with USC,
Princeton and Quinnipiac coming to town.
Vanderbilt will also play in Blacksburg,
Va. for the Hilton Garden Classic Dec. 29
and 30. The Commodores will open the
tournament against Delaware before playing either Virginia Tech or Alcorn State.
Vanderbilt’s postseason journey will
begin just a short drive from campus
at Bridgestone Arena, where the SEC
Tournament returns for the first time since
2008.
Backcourt
Senior point guard Jence Rhoads will
anchor Vanderbilt’s perimeter. Rhoads
led the team in assists and averaged 13.8
points per game last season, while earning
all-league honors. Rhoads’ presence will
bring a calming influence to a backcourt
that will have to replace the outside touch
of Merideth Marsh, who graduated as the
school’s all-time leader in career threepointers and topped the team in scoring

Season Outlook
with an average of 15.1 points per game
last year.
“We think she is one of the best guards
in the country,” Balcomb said of Rhoads.
“The thing about Jence is that I don’t look
at her as a point guard anymore, I think
she has evolved into what I call a player.
There are positions and there are players and you are only as good as your best
player.”
Beyond Rhoads, the Commodores
will look for more from sophomores Elan
Brown and Gabby Smith, who both saw
significant action last year. Brown earned
freshman All-SEC honors after averaging
4.8 points and 3.3 rebounds in 32 games,
including 10 starts. Due to Vanderbilt’s
lack of height, the 6-foot-0 Brown volunteered to play in the post last season, but
will return to her natural position as a wing
this year.
Smith played in 33 games and started
the final five games of the year, while
averaging 3.0 points. Smith, Brown and
forward Tiffany Clarke makeup Vanderbilt’s sophomore class, which Balcomb
expects big things from this season.
“Elan and Gabby and Tiffany have
really improved,” Balcomb said. “I love the
improvement of all of them. They worked
really hard during the offseason and I’m
excited with how much better they are
going to be.”
Vanderbilt’s outside scoring should get
a boost by the addition of junior guard
Angela Puleo. A Georgia transfer, Puleo
was a two-year starter for the Bulldogs and
is regarded by teammates as the team’s top
outside shooter.
Vanderbilt’s backcourt will also benefit
from the addition of freshmen Christina
Foggie (Mount Laurel, N.J) and Jasmine
Lister (Corona, Calif.). The 5-foot-9
Foggie was ranked as the No. 58 recruit in
the country and averaged 26.4 points, 5.2
assists and 6.1 rebounds as a senior. Lister,
who is 5-foot-4, is the shortest member
of the Commodores. As a senior Lister

averaged 20 points, five assists and four
steals. Foggie is expected to play the Nos.
2 or 3 positions, while Lister will split time
with Smith backing up Rhoads at point
guard.
Frontcourt
Vanderbilt’s interior returns a few
familiar faces, but will have a completely
different look than it did last season thanks
to an influx in size. With the addition of
three freshmen that are 6-foot-3 or taller,
and the anticipated debut of 6-foot-4
redshirt freshman Stephanie Holzer, the
Commodores have transformed from one
of the shortest to tallest teams.
“We’ll have a much bigger low-post
presence with the flexibility that I always
want in that most of our post can face up
and shoot as well,” Balcomb said. “We will
have an inside-outside, high-low combination that we haven’t had the last two years.”
Balcomb also believes the added height
will benefit the Commodores on the
defensive end, and in turn allow the team
to run more on offense.
“We hope that we can get back to playing matchup on defense by using our size
and our strength,” Balcomb said. “What
used to be a strength for us was defensive
rebounding. We were at the top of the
country in defensive rebounding because
we were big and we forced people to take
outside shots. If we could do that again and
dominate with our size and dominate on
the defensive boards, then we can run.”
The added height will benefit the
entire team, but maybe no one more than
Hannah Tuomi. A three-year starter in
the post, the 6-foot-1 Tuomi has often
been charged with having guard bigger
opponents due to Vanderbilt’s lack of size.
The additional height should enable Tuomi
to matchup with players that are more
her height this season, which could lead
to an increase in scoring. Last year, Tuomi
averaged 10.0 points and a team-best 5.6
rebounds.

Vanderbilt will also turn to senior
Rebecca Silinski (6-foot-3), who brings
tremendous leadership to the team. Silinski
saw an increased role as a junior, playing in
10 of the last 11 games, including a careerbest 22 minutes against Arkansas in the
SEC Tournament.
Vanderbilt will also get a boost from the
return of junior forward Jordan Coleman
(5-foot-11), who started the first seven
games last season before getting injured
at Wright State and missing the rest of
the year. Also returning in the paint is
sophomore Tiffany Clarke (6-foot-0), who
earned SEC All-Freshman honors last
season after averaging 7.5 points and 5.3
rebounds.
After missing all of last season due to
injury Holzer is healthy and will get every
opportunity to see significant minutes. A
former McDonald’s All-American, Holzer
is expected to contribute immediately.
“The game changes offensively and
defensively when she is on the floor,” Balcomb said. “She is a low-post presence that
we have missed since Liz Sherwood.”
Vanderbilt will also receive a boost from
6-foot-3 forward Tori Jarosz (Cortlandt
Manor, N.Y.). Jarosz averaged 22 points,
16 rounds and seven blocks as a senior.
Clair Watkins, a 6-foot-4 freshman forward from Matthews, N.C., was expected
to contribute this season, but she suffered
a season-ending knee injury during the
team’s first practice.
The fifth member of Vanderbilt’s signing class is 6-foot-7 freshman center Kayci
Ferriss, who is from Carthage, Tenn. Ferriss will redshirt this season as she works
to get back to 100 percent after a stress
fracture forced her to miss her final high
school season.
Vanderbilt’s combination of a talented
mix of returnees and newcomers, coupled
with a strong coaching staff, has all the
makings of a team that will once again
contend in the SEC and make a push
toward another NCAA Tournament bid.

Fact Book

7

Player Information
Career Highs

Jence Rhoads

22

Senior, Guard
5’ 11”
Slippery Rock, Pa.
Slippery Rock HS

2011 PROSPECTS An All-America candidate, Rhoads is the catalyst
for the Commodores. She enters her senior season after earning first team
All-SEC honors last year. She is one of three team captains.
2009-10 (Junior) First team All-Southeastern Conference selection by
league coaches... Second-team choice by the Associated Press... SEC Winter
Academic Honor Roll ... First in the Southeastern Conference in minutes per
game, second in assist-to-turnover ratio and assists per game... Averaged
13.8 points, 5.0 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game ... Fifteen points and six
rebounds while playing the full 45 minutes in win over DePaul... Scored
more than 20 points for the third time this season with 21 in overtime over
Arkansas in SEC Tournament... Nine points and nine assists in VU’s Senior
Day loss to South Carolina... Sixth straight game in double-figures with 16
points against Florida... Responsible for 18 of VU’s final 23 points at Ole Miss
via four field goals, three assists (including two on three-pointers) and a
pair of free throws... Scored team-high 19 in win over Rebels to lead VU in
scoring for 12th time this year... Career-high 25 points led the Commodores to
a win over No. 16/17 Kentucky... Fifteen points against No. 5 Tennessee... At
Florida, played the full 40 minutes for the fifth time in her VU career, scoring a
game-high 14 points... Twenty points in 38 minutes against Mississippi State...
Twelve points, five assists and six steals in win at Auburn after returning
from hand injury that had held her out of Georgia and Tennessee games...
Suffered the injury with seven minutes left in the Kentucky game (1/10) but
played the entire 40 minutes... Only Commodore in double figures at Kentucky,
marking the first time this season that only one VU player has scored more
than 10 points... Second-career double-double with 11 points and 10 assists
in SEC opener vs. Ole Miss... Scored a team-high 18 at No. 3 Notre Dame...
Hit 7 of 10 from the field against ETSU... Game-high 17 points at Quinnipiac
included jumper with 36 seconds left to lead Commodores to victory... Played
39 minutes against the Bobcats... Team-high 17 points and nine assists in
overtime win over Western Kentucky... Game-high 17 points, one off her
career best, against Bowling Green... Named to the all-tournament team at
the 2009 Vanderbilt Thanksgiving Tournament... Scored 12 points against N.C.
State while playing 40 minutes for only the second time in her career... First
double-double of her career came against Austin Peay with 10 points and
career-best 11 assists... Eleven points in only 19 minutes at Saint Joseph’s...
Fourteen points and seven assists against UC Riverside... Career-high 18
points with nine assists at Southern Illinois... Career-high 10 assists with eight
points at season opener against Lehigh.
2008-09 (Sophomore) Played point in all 35 games as a sophomore,
making 22 starts... Ranked third in the NCAA in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.49)...
Opened the season with career-high nine assists against Texas A&M-Corpus

Points: _______________ 25______________________ Kentucky (2/14/10)
FG Made: ____________ 9_______________________ Kentucky (2/14/10)
FG Atts: ______________ 19 (2x)______________ last vs. Arkansas (3/4/10)
3FG Made: ___________ 2___________________________vs. Xavier (3/23/10)
3FG Atts: _____________ 3 (2x)____________________ last vs. Xavier (3/23/10)
FT Made: _____________ 6 (3x)_________________ last Kentucky (2/14/10)
FT Atts: ______________ 8________________ Western Kentucky (12/6/09)
Rebounds: ____________ 8__________________________at LSU (2/18/10)
Assists: ______________ 11___________________ Austin Peay (11/27/09)
Blocks: ______________ 3____________________UC Riverside (11/20/09)
Steals: _______________ 6_______________________ at Auburn (1/21/10)
Minutes: _____________ 45 (2x)_______________ last vs. DePaul (3/21/10)
Christi with zero turnovers... Came back at Western Kentucky with eight
more assists and only two giveaways... Career-high six steals in a reserve
role against UT-Martin... Scored 12 points including 6-of-6 from the charity
stripe vs. Alabama... Also had seven assists against only one turnover in
Tuscaloosa... Averaging five assists and more than eight points in conference
play... Dished out a game-high eight assists in 22 minutes of action versus
Alabama... Team-high 37 minutes in win over Florida included five assists
against only one turnover... Career-high 16 points in victory over No. 3 Auburn
marked the first time in her career to lead VU in scoring... Made 7-of-10 field
goals, repeatedly slashing through the lane for layups... Game-tying jumper
vs. Ole Miss was reviewed and found to be just after the buzzer... Nine assists
and only two turnovers in the SEC Tournament... Scored 15 points in semifinal
win over LSU... Game-high seven rebounds in NCAA second round win over
Kansas State.
2007-08 (Freshman) Named to the Southeastern Conference AllFreshmen team by a vote of league coaches... Made it back into the starting
lineup against South Florida after playing a reserve role in the previous seven
games... Averaged 4.5 assists and 3.8 rebounds in conference play... Ranked
No. 2 in the SEC in assists per game in league tilts... Dished out five or more
assists in 10 contests, including eight conference games... Personal-best
eight rebounds at LSU... Career highs with eight assists and four steals in first
Southeastern Conference game of her career... Career-high 10 points in 31
minutes at Princeton... Started the first six games of her collegiate career.
HIGH SCHOOL (Slippery Rock) Concluded her career with 2,170 points,
the only Butler County player in history--male or female--to eclipse 2,000
points.... Averaged over 22 points, seven rebounds, five assists and four
steals for Adrienne Orris’ Rockets... Named Pennsylvania Gatorade Player
of the Year, District 10 Player of the Year, Butler County Player of the Year in
2007... Led Slippery Rock to District 10 championship.... Recorded tripledoubles in five of Slippery Rock’s last six regular-season games... Nominated
as a McDonald’s All-American... Recipient of the KDRA Extra Effort Award...
Ranked in the Top 100 for the Class of 2007 by Blue Star Basketball... Played
AAU ball for her father Robert with Tri-State Rock Solid... Team finished fourth
at the ISU Nationals... Named a 2006 adidas Top-Ten All-Star.
ACADEMICS Working toward a degree in interdisciplinary studies in the
college of arts and sciences.

2011 PROSPECTS After seeing an increase in playing time down the
stretch of last season, Silinski enters her senior season playing the best
basketball of her career. Silinski is also one of three captains on the team.
2009-10 (Junior) SEC Winter Academic Honor Roll ... Averaged 2.2
points and 1.9 rebounds ... Played in 19 games ... Averaged 7.5 minutes
per game ... Played career-high 22 minutes in SEC Tournament win over
Arkansas, contributing seven points and six rebounds... Has seen reserve
minutes in the post in eight of the past nine games... Career-high eight points
at Ole Miss included 4-of-5 shooting from the floor... Came down with four
offensive rebounds against the Rebels... Second game with double-digit
minutes against Tennessee included a pair of rebounds... Three rebounds and
a block in win over Alabama... Season-high 12 minutes at No. 4 Tennessee...
Career-high six points in win over Tennessee State... Made 2-of-3 shots from
the field and both free throws against the Lady Tigers... Also pulled down
five rebounds in just nine minutes vs. TSU... Knocked down a pair of first-half
free throws at Quinnipiac... Made a free throw for Vanderbilt’s 75th point in
the second consecutive home game versus Austin Peay... Three points and
three rebounds against UC Riverside... Did not travel to Carbondale, Ill. (Nov.
18) due to a death in the family... Tied a career high with four points in season
opening win over Lehigh.
2008-09 (Sophomore) Saw action in eight games as a sophomore
before sitting out the second half of the season due to illness... Cleared to
play over the summer... Scored four points in seven minutes to open the
season against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi... Made her only field goal attempt
versus Eastern Kentucky in eight minutes of action.

Points: _______________ 8______________________ at Ole Miss (2/21/10)
FG Made: ____________ 4______________________ at Ole Miss (2/21/10)
FG Atts: ______________ 5______________________ at Ole Miss (2/21/10)
3FG Made: ___________ 0______________________________________ N/A
3FG Atts: _____________ 0______________________________________ N/A
FT Made: _____________ 3____________________UC Riverside (11/20/09)
FT Atts: ______________ 6____________________UC Riverside (11/20/09)
Rebounds: ____________ 6______________________vs. Arkansas (3/4/10)
Assists: ______________ 1 (5x)_________________last vs. Xavier (3/23/10)
Blocks: ______________ 2____________________ vs. Tennessee (3/6/10)
Steals: _______________ 1_________________________Radford (12/2/08)
Minutes: _____________ 22_____________________vs. Arkansas (3/4/10)
HIGH SCHOOL (Shades Mountain) All-time leading scorer for the
Eagles, amassed 2,103 points at Shades Mountain Christian... Also holds
school’s all-time rebounding record with 1,139... Named Female StudentAthlete of the Year on the All-State Academic team by the Birmingham
News... Class 2A Player of the Year finalist... Named a first-team All-American
by SportQuest... honorable-mention all-state selection by the Alabama Sports
Writers Association... Captained the team that advanced to the elite eight,
SMC’s best-ever finish in the state tournament... Nominated for the Wendy’s
High School Heisman in 2006... Alabama Lady Warriors AAU Basketball Team
for three seasons... Led team to 2006 YBOA State Championship... Named an
adidas Top-Ten All-Star.
ACADEMICS Working toward degrees in political science and communication studies in the college of arts and sciences.
PERSONAL Daughter of Karen and Robert Silinski... Has two younger
sisters, Kaitlyn and Mikayla... Both parents played collegiate athletics at Holy
Cross -- Robert played football, while Karen played volleyball... Majoring in
political science... Also a three-year letterwinner for the Shades Mountain
volleyball team... Valedictorian of her graduating class... President of SMC’s
National Honor Society chapter... Born in Pittsburgh, Pa.

2007-08 (Freshman) Saw reserve action in the post in 16 games this
season... Played 10 minutes in her home state, notching a pair of steals in
VU’s rout of Alabama... Received five stitches over her eye after taking an
elbow to the face against South Carolina... Four points in only two minutes
during VU’s 22-point win over Mississippi State in 2008 SEC opener... Saw 15
minutes of action against Belmont, scoring four points... Played six minutes
and had one block in win over Furman... Scored three points in her first collegiate game (against UAB), making her only field-goal attempt and connecting
on 1-of-2 free throws.

2011 PROSPECTS A three-year starter, who plays much larger than
6-foot-1, Tuomi provides consistent production in the paint for the Commodores. Tuomi is also one of three team captains.
2009-10 (Junior) Only Commodore that has started every game of
the 2009-10 season... Averaged 10.0 points and 5.6 rebounds per game ...
Averaging 14.7 points over the past six games... Fifth double-double of her
career came in NCAA First Round vs. DePaul with 17 points and career-high
12 rebounds... Also dished out a career-best six assists in first postseason
game since 2008... Twelve points and five boards in only 21 minutes of action
against South Carolina... Career-high 26 points included perfect 10-of-10
from the field... VU’s fourth-ever game of 100 percent shooting with 10 or
more attempts... The first time the feat has been accomplished since 1993...
One rebound shy of a double-double with nine boards against the Gators...
Back-to-back games in double-figures following 10 points in win at Arkansas
marked first time since December to score 10 or more in consecutive games...
Broke a five-game streak of single-digit scoring with 11 points against Alabama... Also led the Commodores with eight rebounds and four assists versus
the Crimson Tide... Eleven points and career-high two blocks at Mississippi
State... Eight points and nine rebounds at No. 3 Notre Dame... Missed only
one field goal attempt (6-7) for the second straight game to score 14 against
ETSU... Fifteen points (7-of-8 shooting) and eight rebounds against Tennessee
State... Eleven points against Quinnipiac... Went 3-of-3 from the charity stripe
against the Bobcats, including converting both ends of a 1-and-1 with :06
seconds reamining to ice game for VU... Eleven points and eight boards in win
over Western Kentucky... Scored 10 points and added seven rebounds in win
at Wright State... Named to the all-tournament team at the 2009 Vanderbilt
Thanksgiving Tournament... Nine points and six rebounds against N.C. State...
Fifteen points, six rebounds and career-high four steals against Austin Peay...
Has scored in double-figures in all five games for the Commodores this
season, including 15 points against Austin Peay... Fourth double-double of
her career with 15 points and 11 rebounds at Saint Joseph’s... Eleven boards
tied a career high for the third time... Perfect 7-of-7 from the field against the
Hawks... Eleven points in 21 minutes against UC Riverside... Scored 20 points
at Southern Illinois... One rebound away from a double-double against the
Salukis... Third time in her career to score at least 20 points... Opened season
with 12 points against Lehigh.
2008-09 (Sophomore) Started the first 28 games of the season as a
sophomore before missing the regular season finale and the entire postseason due to a leg injury... Notched 19 points at Western Kentucky, hitting
8-of-11 field goals... Second double-double of her career with 13 points and
11 rebounds at ETSU... One rebound shy of her second straight doubledouble with 10 point, nine rebound performance at Michigan... Named to the

Points: _______________ 26________________________ Florida (2/24/10)
FG Made: ____________ 10 (2x)__________________ last Florida (2/24/10)
FG Atts: ______________ 15__________________________TSU (12/19/08)
3FG Made: ___________ 0______________________________________ N/A
3FG Atts: _____________ 0______________________________________ N/A
FT Made: _____________ 6_________________________ Florida (2/24/10)
FT Atts: ______________ 10_______________ Western Kentucky (12/6/09)
Rebounds: ____________ 12_____________________ vs. DePaul (3/21/10)
Assists: ______________ 6______________________ vs. DePaul (3/21/10)
Blocks: ______________ 2 (2x)__________last at Mississippi State (1/7/10)
Steals: _______________ 4 (2x)______________ last vs. Tennessee (3/6/10)
Minutes: _____________ 37_____________________ vs. DePaul (3/21/10)
All-Tournament team at the 2008 Vanderbilt Thanksgiving Tournament after
scoring a team-high 16 points in VU’s win over Davidson... Scored 17 points
in 20 minutes at Cal State Fullerton, hitting 8-of-12 shots... Established a new
career-high with 23 points in 26 minutes against Tennessee State... Pulled the
third double-double of her career with 10 rebounds, including five offensive
boards...Scored 20 points against No. 6 Notre Dame on 9-of-13 shooting...
Twelve points and six boards against No. 7/11 Tennessee... Pulled down 10
rebounds, including six offensive boards, against LSU... Seventeen points on
7-of-10 shooting in win over Florida (2/12)... Ten points and six boards in win
over Georgia.
2007-08 (Freshman) Named to the Southeastern Conference All-Freshmen team by a vote of league coaches... Moved into the starting lineup on
Jan. 2... Named SEC Freshmen of the Week on Jan. 21, the day after posting
her first career double-double at No. 2 Tennessee (10 points/11 rebounds)...
Fourteen points against Montana on 6-of-9 shooting to lead the team in
scoring for the first time... Twelve points and eight rebounds in the first half
against Alabama, ending the game one board shy of a double-double after
not playing the final 16 minutes... Career-high 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting
in victory over No. 12/11 Georgia... Scored double-digits for the second time
with 10 points against LSU, including eight straight to open the second half...
Nine points and seven boards in first career conference game, her third start
of the year... Earned her first collegiate start against South Florida, scoring a
career-high 11 points and pulling down nine rebounds.
HIGH SCHOOL (Horizon) Averaged over 20 points and 10 rebounds per
game in her senior season for Mike Carey’s Hawks... First-team selection to
the All-Colorado girls basketball team by the Rocky Mountain News... Named
Colorado Ms. Basketball 2005-06 by the Denver Post... The Hawks reached
the championship game of the Class 5A state tournament in sophomore and
junior seasons... Averaged 19.6 points and 12.1 rebounds as a junior... Team
posted a 22-5 overall record and went 15-1 in league play... Scored a seasonhigh 28 points on four separate occasions... Posted five double-doubles... As
a sophomore, earned second-team all-state honors and posted two 20-point,
20-rebound games.
ACADEMICS Working toward a degree in English from the college of arts
and sciences ... Also majoring in the history of art.

2011 PROSPECTS After having a promising start to the 2010 season
derailed by a knee injury, Coleman returns at full strength to help the Commodores’ front line. Coleman’s athletic ability makes her one of the team’s top
rebounders, which was indicated by her team-best rebounding average of 6.4
before her injury.
2009-10 (Sophomore) Suffered an injury to her left knee in the closing
minutes of win at Wright State which kept her out for the remainder of the
2009-10 season... Averaged 7.4 points and 6.4 rebounds in seven games ...
Eight points, seven rebounds and three steals against the Raiders... Has
played more than 20 minutes in past six games... Scored career-high 17 points
in victory over Austin Peay... First double-figures scoring output of her career
included perfect 7-of-7 from the charity stripe... Pulled 10 rebounds for the
first time in her career at Saint Joseph’s... Also scored six point and had three
steals against the Hawks... On the floor for a career-high 26 minutes in Philadelphia... Four points, four assists and eight rebounds against UC Riverside...
Five points, six rebounds and three steals at Southern Illinois... Made first
career start against Lehigh, scoring personal-best eight points in 14 minutes.
2008-09 (Freshman) Saw action in 19 games as a freshman, expanding her role as the season went on... Saw first action of her collegiate career
against Davidson after nursing a leg injury during Vanderbilt’s first five
games... Scored three points in VU debut, making only field-goal attempt...
Also hit only shot in second game against Virginia Tech... Scored four points
against Radford... Made 2-of-3 field goals, including first miss of the year...
Notched four points and two rebounds in four minutes vs. Alabama... Played
10 strong minutes in the SEC semifinals which included four rebounds, a
layup, and great screen that freed Christina Wirth for a three in the corner...
Season-high 14 minutes in first round NCAA win over Western Carolina
included four points and personal-best six rebounds... Also saw action in
second round win over Kansas State and versus Maryland in the Sweet 16.
HIGH SCHOOL (Lake Mary) A four-year starter for Coach Carl Brown’s
Rams... Led the team in scoring for three of her four seasons, averaging 13.6
points per game over her career... Helped lead Lake Mary to a 6A State Championship in 2006, and was named Most Valuable Player of that tournament...
Paced the Rams in rebounding for all four of her varsity seasons... Set school
records for rebounds in a game (24) and in a season (341)... Three-time firstteam All-Florida selection in basketball, also was so lauded in track & field
following her sophomore and senior seasons.... Placed second in the state
triple jump as a sophomore before returning her senior season to claim the
title... Won seven Florida AAU championships as part of the Orlando Comets
Red... Youngest member of the squad’s 2006 AAU National Championship
team.

ACADEMICS Working toward a degree in communication studies from
the college of arts and sciences.
PERSONAL Daughter of Marcella and Kurt Coleman... One of four siblings... Older brother, Jaret and younger brother Malcolm... Also has younger
sister, Laniere... Father is a professional scuba instructor and member of
Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity... Chose to pursue college basketball over exploring talents in art and track... Maintained a 3.84 GPA through her high school
career.

2011 PROSPECTS A two-year letterwinner and starter at Georgia,
Puleo begins her first season with the Commodores after having to sit out last
season due to NCAA rules. Will provide an outside shooting presence for the
Commodores.

2009-10 (Transfer Season) Sat out during the 2009-10 season due to
NCAA transfer rules following her transfer from Georgia.
2007-09 (Georgia) Played two seasons for Coach Andy Landers at the
University of Georgia before transfering to Vanderbilt in the summer of 2009...
Scored 7.4 points per game as a sophomore, starting 28 of 31 contests she
played in... A 36 percent three-point shooter, she led the team from the charity
stripe (.788)... Second on the squad in minutes played... An SEC All-Freshman
selection in 2008 after averaged 8.2 points per game and starting 32 of 33
contests... Scored 501 points in two seasons with the Lady Bulldogs.
HIGH SCHOOL (William Blount) Coached by Matt Fowler at William
Blount... Listed as the No. 29 recruit in the country after averaging 26.1
points per game as a senior... Broke WBHS career record with 2,650 points...
Four-time All-District selection and a three-time All-Region pick... Maryville
Daily Times’ Girls Basketball Player of the Year as both a junior and a senior...
All-State for Class AAA by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association (TSWA)
as both a junior and a senior... Knoxville News-Sentinel Player of the Year as
a junior.
ACADEMICS Working toward a degree in communication studies from
the college of arts and sciences.
PERSONAL Angela M. Puleo... Daughter of Micki and Charlie Puleo...
Father was a Major League pitcher with stints with the New York Mets (198182), Cincinnati Reds (1983-84) and Atlanta Braves (1986-89).

2011 PROSPECTS With the height of a post player and shooting ability
of a guard, Brown makes for a difficult defensive matchup for opposing
teams. Brown has continued to improve following her SEC All-Freshmen campaign. Will return to guard after spending bulk of time at forward in 2010.
2009-10 (Freshman) SEC All-Freshmen team ... Averaged 4.8 points and
3.3 rebounds ... Started 10 games ... Volunteered to play forward after injuries
thinned VU’s front line ... Paired a team-high 10 rebounds with eight points
at Ole Miss... Career-high 16 points in SEC win at Arkansas included 4-of-6
from long range... Eight points and seven rebounds in starting role against
Alabama... Four points and career-high two blocks against Mississippi State...
Seven points and six rebounds in win at Auburn... Ten points including 4-of-9
shooting from the field at No. 4 Tennessee... Scored 11 points in win over No.
6 Georgia on 5-of-7 shooting... Her first game in double-figures also included
three steals... Career high’s at Kentucky included eight rebounds and four
steals and 27 minutes played... Seven points and four rebounds in SEC opener
vs. Ole Miss... Made her first career start against Western Kentucky, playing
a personal-high 25 minutes, scoring four points and pulling five rebounds...
Started the second half against Bowling Green but was limited to 13 total minutes due to four fouls... Seven points and four rebounds against Austin Peay...
Eight points and four steals against UC Riverside... Three steals and five
points in her road game debut including 3-of-4 free throws... Scored seven
points in her collegiate debut and played 24 minutes before fouling out.
HIGH SCHOOL (Woodward) Four-year starter for Coach Jonathan
Merrill’s War Eagles... Helped lead team to regional championships in 2006
and 2009... Named All-Region in 2008... Joined the school’s 1,000-point club in
2009... Named Most Improved Player in 2006... Best Offensive Player in 2007
and 2008... Most Valuable Player in 2009... Also lettered in track and field...
Played her club ball for Coach Charles Huddleston’s Georgia Metros, where
she was a teammate of Tiffany Clarke... Metros were Nike Nationals Silver
Division champions in 2008.
ACADEMICS
major.

PERSONAL Elan Laurent Brown... Born July 11, 1991 in Atlanta, Ga....
Daughter of Lori Metoyer and Geoffrey Brown... Has one older sister, Vienne...
Earned the Silver Eagle Award for maintaining a GPA of better than 3.2 from
ninth through 12 grade.

2011 PROSPECTS After bursting onto the scene with a stellar freshman
season where she earned SEC All-Freshmen honors, Clarke looks to take
another step forward as a sophomore.
2009-10 (Freshman) SEC All-Freshmen Team ... Averaged 7.5 points
and 5.3 rebounds per game ... Pulled 10 rebounds in SEC Quarterfinal win
over LSU, missing her second double-double by just four points... Ten points
and five rebounds against South Carolina... Twelve points in win at Arkansas included 6-of-7 from the free-throw line... Team-high 14 points with
eight rebounds in win over No. 6 Georgia... Team-high 18 points in first-ever
SEC game, Jan. 3 vs. Ole Miss... Eleven points and nine rebounds at No. 3
Notre Dame -- her fourth consecutive game with at least nine rebounds...
Also blocked three shots for the second straight game... Career-high 27
points against ETSU... First career double-double vs. the Lady Bucs with 11
rebounds... Also blocked three shots against ETSU... Made first start of her
Commodore career against Tennessee State... Held to only 18 minutes due to
foul trouble, but did score six points and pull down team-high nine rebounds...
Back-to-back double-figures games after scoring 14 points at Quinnipiac...
One shy of a double-double against the Bobcats with nine rebounds... Also
registered a pair of blocks for the third time this season... Second game in
double-figures came in win over Western Kentucky, featuring 12 points and
six rebounds... Six points and team-high eight rebounds at Wright State...
Six points and two blocks against N.C. State... Five points against Austin
Peay despite fouling out after 15 minutes... Two points and four rebounds in
11 minutes at Saint Joseph’s... Six points versus UC Riverside... Nine points
and six boards in first road game at Southern Illinois... Led all scorers with 14
points in her collegiate debut against Lehigh... Connected on 7-of-10 shots in
her first game as a Commodore.
HIGH SCHOOL (Norcross) Four-year starter for Coach Angie Hembree’s
Blue Devils... Averaged 18 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks per game...
Set school record for most blocks in a single game and season... Four-time
All-Region and three-time All-County honoree... Scored over 1,000 career
points... McDonald’s All-America nominee... Also lettered in volleyball and
track and field... All-State selection and Team MVP in volleyball... 5A State
champion in triple jump in 2008... Played her club ball for Coach Charles
Huddleston’s Georgia Metros, where she was a teammate of Elan Brown...
Metros were Nike Nationals Silver Division champions in 2008.
ACADEMICS
HOD.

PERSONAL Tiffany W. Clarke... Born February 5, 1991, in Queens, N.Y....
Daughter of Andrea and Richard Clarke... Has three siblings... Has one older
brother, Timothy, and two younger siblings, Lesedi and Jaiden... Eleven-time
scholar-athlete... Gwinnett County Scholar Athletic Team of the Year... Plans
to major in Interdisciplanary Studies... Both mother and father are Jamaican.

2011 PROSPECTS After seeing an increase in playing time down the
stretch, Smith looks to take another step as a sophomore, and will add a
strong outside shooting presence to the team.
2009-10 (Freshman) SEC Freshman Academic Honor Roll ... Averaged
3.0 points and 1.2 rebounds per game ... Started final five games of season
and averaged 13.2 minutes per game ... Earned first starts of Vanderbilt
career in the SEC Tournament, playing 86 minutes in the three contests...
Played personal-best 36 minutes against Arkansas, dishing three assists and
recording her first block... Connected on both three-point attempts against
Florida... Nine points in career-high 24 minutes at No. 4 Tennessee... Scored
a career-high 12 points in win over No. 6 Georgia... Hit 5-of-9 from the floor
while playing a career-high minutes for the second consecutive game... First
double-figures scoring day came in win over Austin Peay (11 points)... Two
steals at Saint Joseph’s... Five points against UC Riverside... Nine points in
first road game at SIU included 2-of-2 from behind the arc... Hit 4-of-5 shots in
collegiate debut to score nine points against Lehigh.
HIGH SCHOOL (Mount Notre Dame) Three-year starter for Coach
Dante Harlan’s Cougars... Won four Ohio Division I state championships...
Three-time All-State Tournament selection... All-GGCL (Girls Greater Cincinnati League) as a junior and senior... Also a Cincinnati Enquirer All-Star both
years... Honorable-mention All-American by Sporting News Magazine...
Mount Notre Dame was ranked No. 10 in the nation by ESPN in 2008 and No.
11 in 2009... Named to OGBR (Ohio Girls Basketball Report) Freshman Team,
Sophomore Team, Junior Team and Senior Team... Honored as “Camp Beast”
during 2006 OGBR Skills Camp... Played club ball for Cincinnati Heat Premiere
under Coach Jerry Allen.
ACADEMICS Working on a degree in cognative studies from the Peabody
College ... Minoring in sociology.
PERSONAL Gabrielle Madalynn Smith... Born June 18, 1991, in Cincinnati,
Ohio... Daughter of Julie and James Smith... Has five siblings... Older brothers,
Zachary and Shane, and older sister, Julianne... Has two younger brothers,
Blake and A.J... Member of the National Honor Society... Father played football at Ball State University... Brother Zachary played football at Purdue University... Brother Shane currently plays lacrosse at the United States Military
Academy at West Point... Sister Julianne plays basketball at the University of
Charleston in West Virginia.

2011 PROSPECTS A former McDonald’s All-American, Holzer looks to
make her debut for the Commodores after missing all of last season due to
injury.

2011 PROSPECTS The tallest member of a freshman class that boasts
three players 6-foot-3 or taller, Ferriss will redshirt this season as she recovers from injury.

2009-10 (Freshman) Redshirted her first season on campus due to
injury ... Selected to SEC Freshman Academic Honor Roll.

HIGH SCHOOL (Cardinal O’Hara) Averaged 24 points, 12 rebounds,
12 blocks and six assists as a junior ... Missed senior season due to injury ...
Four-year letterwinner and starter ... Three-year team captain ... Tennessee
Gatorade Player of the Year ... Miss Basketball Finalist ... Coached by Barry
Smith.

HIGH SCHOOL (Cardinal O’Hara) Three-year starter for Coach Linus
McGinty’s Lions... Averaged 19.5 points, 15.5 rebounds and 3.2 blocks as a
senior... Three-time Street & Smith’s All-American... Gatorade Pennsylvania
Player of the Year... Parade All American, All-USA Today, McDonalds All
American, WBCA All American... 1,300 career points, 1,000 career rebounds...
Nike Tournament of Champions MVP... Delco Player of the Year... First-team
All-State... Philadelpha City MVP... 2009 Philadelphia City Champions... 2009
Class 4A State Runner-ups... Philadelphia Catholic League Champions in 2006
and 2008... Played her club ball for Coach Kevin Lynch’s Philadelphia Belles.
ACADEMICS Working toward a degree in human and organizational
development in the Peabody College.

ACADEMICS
major.

Enrolled in the college of arts and science ... Undecided on

PERSONAL Daughter of Pamela Ferriss ... Has three siblings -- brother,
Jackie Boles (22), and sisters, Amanda (10) and Lisa (26) ... Began playing
basketball at age 10 ... Chose No. 45 because Michael Jordan used to wear it
... Favorites include Dwayne Wade, Trey Songz and Varsity Blues ... Lists her
mom as the person she most admires.

PERSONAL Stephanie Elizabeth Holzer... Born Dec. 17, 1990 in Mount
Kisco, N.Y..... Daughter of Kristen and Eric Holzer... Has two siblings -- Katie
(21) and Matthew (12)... Plans to major in Human & Organizational Development... Sister Katie played basketball for the University of Richmond.

Fact Book

19

Player Information
Christina Foggie

10

Freshman Guard
5’ 9”
Mount Laurel, N.J.
Lenape Regional HS

Tori Jarosz

44

Freshman Forward
6’ 3”
Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.
Lakeland HS

2011 PROSPECTS The top rated recruit in the signing class, Foggie is
one of the team’s most athletic players.

2011 PROSPECTS A former two-sport star in high school, Jarosz brings
much needed height to the Vanderbilt front line.

HIGH SCHOOL (Lenape Regional) Averaged 26.4 points, 5.2 assists
and 6.1 rebounds as a senior ... Four-year letterwinner and starter ... Twoyear team captain ... Two-time All-State selection ... Four-time team MVP ...
Four-time first team All-Olympic-American Conference ... Four-time first team
All-South Jersey ... 2010 Al Carino South Jersey Co-Player of the Year ... 2010
Burlington County Player of the Year ... Team posted 23-4 record as a senior,
which is best record in school history ... 2007 Olympic American Conference
Champions ... Coached by Lynn Brennan ... Played AAU basketball for Fort
Washington, Pa.’s Fencor and was coached by Steve Chapman ... Ranked
No. 58 on ESPNU Hoopgurlz 100 ... McDonald’s All-American nominee ...
New Jersey Gatorade Player of the Year Finalist ... School’s all-time leading
scorer (male or female) with 2,137 points ... Burlington County’s all-time
leading female three-point scorer with 242 threes ...Scored 1000th point as a
sophomore.

HIGH SCHOOL (Lakeland) Averaged 22 points, 16 rebounds and seven
blocks as a senior ... Four-year letterwinner in basketball ... Started three
years in basketball ... Two-year team captain ... Three-time All-League and
All-Section ... Two-time first team All-State ... Team won league title as junior
and senior ... Lost in section finals as junior ... Won section and lost in state
championship as a senior ... Won section and state championships as a
freshman ... Coached by Steve Fallo ... Owns school record with 39 points in a
game ... Career leading scorer and rebounder in school history ... Owns state
tournament record for most points scored in the tournament (senior year) ...
Three-year letterwinner and starter in volleyball ... Started and lettered one
year in softball ... Student government officer as a freshman and senior.

ACADEMICS Enrolled in the Peabody College and working toward a
degree in human and organizational development.
PERSONAL Daughter of Nicola and James Foggie ... Has one older
brother -- James, 22 ... Father is a systems manager for Verizon ... Mother
is director of compliance for NJCUL ... Began playing basketball at age 5 ...
Chose Vanderbilt over Villanova, St. Josephs, Maryland, James Madison and
Delaware ... Favorite’s include Kobe Bryant, Mariah Carey and Mean Girls.

20

Vanderbilt Women’s Basketball 2011

ACADEMICS Enrolled in the Peabody College and working toward a
degree in human and organizational development.
PERSONAL Daughter of Dennis and Susan Jarosz ... Father is a police
officer ... Mother is a teacher ... Has one younger brother, Nick (12) ... Chose
Vanderbilt over West Virginia, Notre Dame and Ohio State ... Began playing
basketball at age 3 ... Favorite’s include LeBron James and John Mayer ...
Enjoys playing the guitar ... Lists her parents as her biggest influence in life.

Player Information
Jasmine Lister

11

Clair Watkins

55

Freshman Guard
5’ 4”
Corona, Calif.
Santiago HS

Freshman Forward
6’ 4”
Matthews, N.C.
Butler HS

2011 PROSPECTS The California native adds depth at point guard and
is the first player from the Golden State to join the Commodores since former
WBCA Defensive Player of the Year Jennifer Risper.

2011 PROSPECTS The last member of Vanderbilt’s freshman class to
sign with the Commodores, Watkins suffered a season-ending knee injury
during the team’s first practice.

HIGH SCHOOL (Santiago) Averaged 20 points, five assists and four
steals as a senior ... Four-year letterwinner and starter ... Two-year team
captain ... Three-time team MVP ... Three-time Big 8 League MVP ... Twotime The Press Enterprise All-Area First Team ... Holds school record with
38-point game ... Tallied school record 2,265 career points ... Owns school
record in career three-pointers (265) ... Topped 1,000 points in sophomore
season ... Also owns single-season records at Santiago in points (656) and
three-pointers (94) ... Class salutatorian ... Maintained 4.2 GPA or higher for
entire high school career ... Four-time Santiago High School Scholar Athlete
... 2010 Leadership Award for varsity basketball ... 2010 Santiago High School
Female Athlete of the Year and Principal’s Award winner ... Coached by John
Perez ... Three-time first team All-CIF (California Interscholastic Federation)
... Three-time first team All-State selection ... Riverside County All Star Team
MVP and CIF-SS All Star Team as a senior ... ESPN CalHiSports Female of
the Week (2/6/10) ... Ranked by ESPN Hoopgurlz as 25th best point guard in
the nation for the class of 2010 ... McDonald’s All-American nominee ... Team
posted school-best record of 31-4 as a senior ... Won Big 8 League and played
in the school’s first CIF-SS Division IAA Championship ... Advanced to state
tournament for first time ... Finished 23-7 as a junior, winning the Big 8 League
title ... Team won Mountain View League title as a sophomore (2008).

HIGH SCHOOL (Butler) Averaged 14 points and nine rebounds as a
senior ... Captain for 2010 squad that won the 4A State Championship ...
Scored 1,281 points as a four-year starter ... Coached by Stephanie Butler
... Named 2010 North Carolina Female Athlete of the Year by the Charlotte
Observer ... Selected to All-State team as a senior ... Three-time All-Conference selection ... Team was ranked 17th in the nation’s top 25 by MaxPreps in
2010 ... In summer of 2009 was selected to travel to Tokyo, Japan, as a member of the Candace Parker Aces, an Adidas Grassroots Global travel team
... A top 25 post prospect by ESPN’s Hoopgurlz ... McDonald’s All-America
nominee ... Member of National Honor Society ... Four-time state champion in
track and field (shot put).

ACADEMICS
major.

ACADEMICS
major.

Enrolled in the college of arts and science ... Undecided on

PERSONAL Daughter of Mark and Nancy Watkins ... Father is a meteorologist ... Mother is a doctor’s aid ... Has two brothers, Stewart (32) and Jackson
(10) ... Chose Vanderbilt over Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia Tech, Clemson,
Texas, Purdue, Indiana, Kansas and Georgia Tech ... Chose No. 55 because
it is the largest number available ... Favorite’s include Lauren Jackson and
Million Dollar baby.

Enrolled in the college of arts and science ... Undecided on

PERSONAL Daughter of Happi and Devland Lister ... Has two sisters
(Cinnamon and Kayla) and one brother (Jordan) ... Twin sister Cinnamon is
a freshman on Boise State’s basketball team ... Father is a children’s pastor
... Mother is a paralegal ... Chose Vanderbilt over Nebraska, Oregon, Boise
State, Long Beach State and Oregon State ... Began playing basketball at age
7 ... Aspires to go to medical school ... Favorites include Chris Paul, Nacho
Libre and Wiz Khalifa.

Commodore Superlatives
Which teammate
would be best on a
reality TV show?

Who is the best
dancer?

Who is the best
singer?

Who is the funniest
on the team?

Who is the best
student?

Who is the best
motivator?

Jordan (9)

Stephanie (9)

Jordan (6)

Jordan (6)

Rebecca (11)

Jence (6)

Gabby (2)

Gabby (2)

Stephanie (3)

Elan (5)

Gabby (4)

Gabby (3)

Tiffany (2)

22

Vanderbilt Women’s Basketball 2011

Player Information
Tori

Jasmine

Angela

Jence

Rebecca

Gabby

Hannah

Clair

Jarosz

Lister

Puleo

Rhoads

Silinski

Smith

Tuomi

Watkins

Lisa Leslie

Ticha Penicheiro

J.J. Redick

Sue Bird

Lisa Leslie

LeBron James

Lisa Leslie

Lauren Jackson

Jay-Z

Will.I.Am

Jence Rhoads

Mia Hamm

Kenny Chesney

Flavor Flavr

Candace Parker

Food tester

Pediatrician

Coach/play

ESPN or Nike

United States
Senator
Sylvia Fowles
(LSU)
Volleyball

Jesse
McCartney
Psychologist/
Nutritionist
Jence Rhoads

Model
Candace Parker

Soccer

Volleyball

Scuba instructor/
dive bum
Chiney Ogwumike (Stanford)
Lacrosse

overseas in Italy

Brittney Griner
(Baylor)
Volleyball

Soccer

Maya Moore
(UConn)
Baseball

Kristi Toliver
(Maryland)
Soccer

Break dance

Play the drums

Speak Italian

Sing

Draw

Sing

Bahamas

Orlando, Fla.

Greece

Kaui, Hawaii

Los Angeles

Cromwell, Minn.

Family Guy

Family Guy

Grey’s Anatomy

Speak another
language
Santorini,
Greece
SportsCenter

24

Deal or No Deal

Jersey Shore

Just Friends

Nacho Libre

The Notebook

Harry Potter

Parasailing

Zip lining

N/A

Madea Goes
to Jail
High school state
championship

The Little
Mermaid
Running a
marathon

N/A

Pop my shoulder
out of place
300’s

Cones

Make my tongue
into 3-leaf clover
N/A

Monkey noises

300’s

Sleep with my
head straight
300’s

Running in
Olympic Stadium
in Olympia
N/A

Catch Me If You
Can
Climbing the
Eiffel Tower

120’s

Have a great
memory
Cones

2

0

2

6

1

2

2

Anything with
running
4

Invisibility

Invisibility

Read minds

Flying

Flying

Mind control

Flying

N/A

Chris Brown

John Mayer

Usher

Rascal Flatts

To be in 2 places
at once
Keith Urban

Garth Brooks

Eminem

Tomatoes

Mashed
potatoes
Holocaust

Olives

Fish

Escargot

Sweets

Nothing

Shrimp

Michael Jordan’s
shot in the 1998
NBA Finals

First ever Olympic games

Signing of the
Declaration of
Independence

Boston Tea Party

1969 Woodstock
Concert

Prehistoric times
when dinosaurs
existed

N/A

Lisa Leslie

Do a cartwheel
or back flip
Cozumel, Mexico
Simpsons/Family
Guy/South Park
Million Dollar
Baby
Scuba diving

N/A

Who could be the
best actress?

Who is the best cook?

Who is the best
dressed?

Who is the best
shooter?

Who is the most
physical player?

Who is the fastest
player?

Jordan (5)

Rebecca (14)

Tiffany (11)

Angela (5)

Hannah (12)

Jence (7)

Angela (3)

Jasmine (1)

Elan (4)

Tiffany (1)

Christina (2)

Elan (3)

Gabby (1)

Gabby (4)

Angela (1)

Tori (1)

Fact Book

23

Coaching & Support Staff
Melanie Balcomb, Head Coach
Eight NCAA Tournament appearances, eight,
20-win seasons, eight top 25 finishes, three SEC
Tournament Championships and four sweet 16
appearances. The list of accomplishments is more
than most coaches achieve in their career, but for
Vanderbilt Head Coach Melanie Balcomb, it is just
the tip of the iceberg for what she has achieved in
her eight years at Vanderbilt.
Since her hiring in 2002, Balcomb has done the
unthinkable by taking an already tradition-rich
program and guiding it to new heights. With a 195-72
record at Vanderbilt, Balcomb’s winning percentage of 73% is greater than any
coach in school history. In her eight seasons at the helm, Balcomb has averaged
more than 24 wins per season, won 83.5 percent of games played at Memorial
Gym, posted an 8-0 record in the NCAA first round, developed eight WNBA Draft
picks, and most importantly, graduated 100% of her players.
A 17-year head coaching veteran, Balcomb is a renowned offensive strategist.
In her eight seasons at Vanderbilt that reputation has only been enhanced. Each
season under Balcomb, Vanderbilt has ranked in the top 20 in field-goal percentage and has an average national ranking of 7th (48%). The offensive success also
extends beyond the arc where the Commodores have an average national rank of
11th (39%) in three-point field goal percentage.
The Commodores have finished in the top five nationally in field-goal percentage four times and in the top five in three-point field-goal percentage three times
under Balcomb. Her teams have also finished in the top five in assists per game,
free-throw percentage and scoring offense.
Balcomb’s success as a head coach is not limited to Vanderbilt. Before arriving
on West End, Balcomb had successful coaching tenures at Ashland (Ohio) and
Xavier. In total, she has coached 500-plus games, winning 67% of the time and
averaging 21 wins per season.
Last season was one of Balcomb’s most challenging tasks with the Commodores. Faced with replacing National Defensive Player of the Year Jennifer Risper
and All-American Christina Wirth, Balcomb guided an undersized team back to the
NCAA Tournament, where they narrowly missed advancing to their third consecutive sweet 16.
Despite having to overcome numerous injuries throughout out the season and
a size disadvantage in almost every game, Vanderbilt finished the season 23-11
overall. Individually, Balcomb helped junior point guard Jence Rhoads earn first
team All-SEC honors, while senior shooting guard Merideth Marsh earned second
team All-SEC accolades. Elan Brown and Tiffany Clarke were also named to the
SEC All-Freshman Team.
Balcomb started at Vanderbilt in 2002 and wasted no time in implementing her
own style of winning. Working to transition veteran players into a new system
while building new team chemistry, Balcomb’s first year saw the Commodores win
six of their last seven regular season games, earn an NCAA Tournament berth, and

24

Vanderbilt Women’s Basketball 2011

BALCOMB FILE
Born
Sept. 24, 1962, in Princeton, N.J.
Parents
Alan and Barbara Balcomb of
Cranbury, N.J.
High School
Hightstown
College
Trenton State
(The College of New Jersey)
Degrees
Bachelor of Science (1984)
Master’s of Education (1985)
Sports Administration/Athletic
Management
Coaching Career
2002-present_____________ Vanderbilt
_____________________ Head Coach
1995-2002___________________ Xavier
_____________________ Head Coach
1993-95____________________Ashland
_____________________ Head Coach
1990-93_________________ Providence
__________________ Assistant Coach
1989-90______________________ Ohio
__________________ Assistant Coach
1985-90____________________Niagara
__________________ Assistant Coach
PLAYING Career
1982-85_______________ Trenton State
Four-year letterwinner… 1,000-Point
Club… Academic All-American
1980-81____________ Georgia Southern
Played a semester before transferring
to Trenton State College
1976-80_____________ Hightstown H.S.
Inducted into the Hightstown High
School Hall of Fame in 1996

lead the nation in field goal percentage (51.3) against the fourth
toughest schedule in the country. She was named a finalist for
the Naismith Coach of the Year award.
In 2003-04, Balcomb led the Commodores to their fourth
Southeastern Conference Tournament title. She masterfully
balanced strong upper-class leadership with exciting freshmen
talent, winning 10 consecutive games and advancing to the
program’s 11th Sweet 16 appearance. One year later, her team
made its second consecutive trip to the NCAA Sweet 16. The
Commodores posted the most wins (10) in the program’s history
in Southeastern Conference play finishing with a 10-4 record.
The Commodores were ranked seventh in the final AP poll
of the 2006-07 season, and earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA
Tournament after winning another SEC Tournament title. That
Vanderbilt squad was the nation’s best three-point shooting
team, and ranked among the top 10 in points scored. The team’s
28-6 mark was the best record for a VU squad in 14 years.
The 2008 season was also one of Balcomb’s most impressive coaching jobs. Despite graduating three All-SEC seniors,
she led the Commodores to a 25-9 record and the school’s 13th
appearance in the NCAA sweet 16, all with two freshmen and
no seniors in the starting lineup.
In 2009, Vanderbilt won its sixth SEC Tournament title, the
third for Balcomb in the last six years. The team also advanced
to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the 14th time in school history —
­
Balcomb’s fourth trip with the Commodores. Vanderbilt finished
the year ranked No. 8 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll
after narrowly missing an upset of No. 1 seed Maryland in the
Raleigh Regional Semifinal.
National accolades came flooding in for Vanderbilt, including
senior Jennifer Risper being named the Women’s Basketball

Coaches Association (WBCA) National Defensive Player of the
Year. Risper and classmate Christina Wirth, who herself was
named an All-American and the SEC Scholar-Athlete of the
Year, were both selected in the 2009 WNBA Draft.
In eight seasons at Vanderbilt, Balcomb has won 12 games in
the NCAA Tournament, which ranks 12th among active coaches
for most wins in the NCAA Tournament during that time. She
holds a winning percentage of 65.7 against SEC opponents. In
all, Balcomb owns series advantages over 10 of the 11 schools
in the SEC.
Before arriving at Vanderbilt, the Cranbury, N.J., native spent
seven seasons at Xavier University. Beginning in 1995, her uptempo style wreaked havoc on the Atlantic 10 while building the
Musketeers into a national contender. In 1998, Xavier recorded
its second postseason appearance in school history with a
selection to the Women’s National Invitational Tournament.
Each of the next three seasons, Xavier competed in the NCAA
Tournament, capped in 2001 by a victory over perennial power
Tennessee and a run to the Elite Eight.
En route to earning three invitations to the NCAA Tournament
and compiling a 136-78 record during her tenure, Balcomb’s
offensive schemes helped push Xavier onto the national stage.
Musketeer field-goal percentages ranked among the top three
in the nation during three different seasons while the 1999
squad led the country in 3-point accuracy at 40.1 percent. Her
2000-01 squad averaged 79.4 points per game, the highest total
in program history. Individual records were rewritten as well.
Of the 15 Musketeers who have scored at least 1,000 points in a
career, six of them played on Balcomb-coached teams.
Before her accomplishments at Xavier, Balcomb took her first
head coaching position at Ashland University. Prosperity was
immediate as Balcomb’s first unit matched the best record in
school history at 18-9 while registering its first winning season
in the Great Lakes Valley Conference with an 11-7 mark.
Prior to becoming a head coach, Balcomb served three
years as an assistant at Providence College (1990-93), during
which the Lady Friars went 62-30, made two NCAA Tournament
appearances and once (1990-91) led the nation in scoring while
they amassed a 26-6 record. In 1989-90, Balcomb was an assistant at Ohio University and she began her coaching career with
a four-year stint (1985-89) on the staff at Niagara University.
In all, Balcomb has coached 19 players who have received
All-Conference accolades. Nine of her players have been
drafted by the WNBA, including VU’s Chantelle Anderson,
Ashley McElhiney, Jenni Benningfield, Ashley Earley, Carla
Thomas, Dee Davis and Christina Wirth. Her Xavier teams won
two league tournament titles (2000 and 2001) and one regularseason championship in the Atlantic 10 Conference (2001).

Fact Book

25

Coaching & Support Staff
Xavier’s successes during the Balcomb era helped push
for construction of the Cintas Center, a state of the art facility
which became home to Xavier basketball at the start of the
2000-01 season and - ironically - was dedicated with a victory over Vanderbilt. That season the program posted a school
record for attendance with a total of 40,098 fans, who thrilled
in the Musketeers’ style of play and their results. Commodore
followers have enjoyed the entertainment as well.
Her basketball education began at an early age among some
of the most well respected coaches in the game. Balcomb’s
father, Alan, was a varsity boy’s coach for 30 years at South
Brunswick (N.J.) High School, and then served as an assistant
for four years at Princeton University under Pete Carril, the
master of the half-court game.
For Balcomb, however, a complete education goes far
beyond the hardwood. Every eligible, four-year player during Balcomb’s coaching tenure has earned her degree. Six of
seven squads at Xavier earned team grade point averages that
ranked in the Top 25. In 2004-05, 40 percent of the Commodore
basketball team was named to the Southeastern Conference
Academic Honor Roll. Vanderbilt led the SEC with eight players
being named to the honor roll in 2003-04.
Balcomb also stresses the importance of community service
to her teams. VU logged more than 95 hours of community
service last season, including numerous opportunities to
visit with young patients at the Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital.
Balcomb herself has been active in outreach to the surrounding
area, participating in numerous fundraising events for local and
national organizations, including Coaches vs. Cancer, the Race
for the Cure, Mercy Ministries, Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital
and the Girl Scouts of America. She joined colleagues to represent the SEC in the 2008 4Kay Golf Classic to benefit the Kay
Yow Cancer Fund.
An avid golfer, Balcomb finds time to make it to beach on her
rare weeks off, and also enjoys reading.

Vicky Picott has served as an
assistant coach under Melanie Balcomb for the past decade, including
the last eight years as the post coach
for the Commodores.
Under Picott the Commodores’
inside presence has played a large
role in the team having an average
national rank of 7th in field-goal percentage under Balcomb.
The last two seasons have produced two of Picott’s finest coaching
efforts. In 2009, the Commodores lost their starting center due to injury
shortly before postseason play and Picott employed the 5-foot-8 Jennifer
Risper to occupy the middle of the court. Despite a size disadvantage,
Risper and forward Christina Wirth guided the Commodores to the SEC
Tournament title and the Sweet 16.
In 2010, Picott again was faced with the challenge of having an undersized interior. However, despite being small in stature, the Commodores
more than held their own against larger post players, and advanced to
the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Picott also helped freshmen
forwards Elan Brown and Tiffany Clarke earn SEC All-Freshman honors.
Picott has developed a number of inside players at Vanderbilt into
professional prospects, including 2007 first-round WNBA draft pick Carla
Thomas. In seven seasons, six Commodores under Picott’s tutelage
have been selected in the WNBA draft, including Thomas (Chicago),
second-overall pick Chantelle Anderson (2003, Sacramento), Wirth (2009,
Indiana), Risper (2009, Chicago), Jenni Benningfield (2004, Indiana) and
Earley (2005, Indiana).
“The consistency that Vicky Picott has given our team has been invaluable,” Balcomb said. “You can’t win without that consistency. Vicky is an
extremely knowledgeable teacher with a passion for the game that sets
her apart. I’m always telling kids that if they want to go to the pros as a
post, they need to come play for Vicky.”
Picott, who prepped at the same high school that produced Balcomb,
came to Nashville with her fellow New Jerseyan in 2002 after two seasons at Xavier.
There, Picott helped direct the Musketeers to a 43-22 mark, including the 2000-01 campaign that featured a trip to the NCAA Tournament
Mideast Regional Finals. Before joining Balcomb at Xavier, Picott served
as an assistant coach at Temple from 1995-2000. She also worked as an
assistant coach at Drexel during the 1994-95 season.
Picott is a 1992 graduate of Rutgers University. She still ranks fourth
in school history in career points (1,792), third in rebounds (1,029) and
fifth in steals (225). A four-year starter at Rutgers, Picott was named the
Atlantic-10 Freshman of the Year following the 1998 season.
She earned all-conference honors three times and was a two-time
Most Valuable Player of her team. Picott also earned the New Jersey
Sports Writers Player of the Year and District II Regional All-America
honors her senior season. For her efforts, Picott was inducted into the
Rutgers Hall of Fame on April 26, 1998.
Picott boasts extensive international experience, as well. She was
selected to two Olympic Festival Teams (1987, 1989) and was a member
of the Junior World Championship team that brought won gold after
competing in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Picott played in the Women’s Professional Basketball Association in Luxembourg (1992-93), helping to lead
the Etzella Team to the Luxembourg Cup Championship. While in Luxembourg, she continued her development in coaching by working with high
school teams.

Kim Rosamond is in her fourth season at Vanderbilt as assistant coach
and recruiting coordinator for Melanie
Balcomb’s Commodores.
Hired before the 2007-08 season
Rosamond brought 10 years of SEC
experience as a player and coach
with her to Vanderbilt, in addition to two season spent locally at Middle
Tennessee State. Rosamond coordinates Vanderbilt’s recruiting efforts
while also contributing to every facet of scouting, player development
and on-court strategy.
Rosamond’s impact in recruiting was felt almost immediately. In 2009
and 2010, Rosamond was instrumental in the Commodores bringing in
recruiting classes that were ranked among the nation’s best by numerous reporting services.
In 2010, two players Rosamond helped bring to Vanderbilt — Elan
Brown and Tiffany Clarke — earned SEC All-Freshman honors.
“Kim has come in and made recruiting a full-time job,” Balcomb said.
“She is really helping us get ahead on the recruiting front, and get after
that next-level talent. Kim is high energy and takes a great deal of pride
in her job. On top of doing a tremendous amount of relationship-building
for us, Kim has an outstanding knowledge of the game of basketball.”
At MTSU, Rosamond was hired by Stephany Smith in 2003 as an
assistant coach. She would serve as the interim head coach when Smith
left in 2005. During her tenure in Murfreesboro, the Lady Raiders boasted
consecutive 24-win seasons while capturing a pair of Sun Belt Conference championships and scoring two first-round NCAA Tournament
upsets (over North Carolina and North Carolina State, respectively).
Prior to her time at MTSU, Rosamond spent five years as an assistant
at her alma mater, Ole Miss. She was hired onto Coach Ron Aldy’s staff
in 1998 just months after graduating and would be promoted to recruiting
coordinator in 2001.
Rosamond was responsible for bringing a pair Top 50 classes to
Oxford. Two Tennessee Miss Basketball selections were included in her
Lady Rebel classes, with her final group of signees — highlighted by AllAmerican Armintie Price — having reached the NCAA Elite Eight in 2007.
Rosamond attended high school at Winston Academy in Louisville,
Miss., where she was recruited to Ole Miss by Van Chancellor. She
was a four-year letterwinner for the Lady Rebels (1995-98). Following
her senior year, Rosamond was the recipient of the team’s Lady Rebel
Award, which is given to the player who excels on and off the court.
As a student-athlete at Ole Miss, Rosamond was the first Lady Rebel
to earn All-SEC Academic honors in all four years of her collegiate
career.
After serving as the Interim Head Coach at MTSU following the
2005 season, Rosamond worked in the private sector prior to coming to
Vanderbilt.

Fact Book

27

Coaching & Support Staff
Assistant Coaches
tom garrick
Assistant Coach
Second Season
Rhode Island, 1989
Tom Garrick is the newest
member of Melanie Balcomb’s
coaching staff. A former Head
Coach at the University of Rhode
Island, Garrick joined Vanderbilt’s staff as an assistant coach
in the summer of 2009.
In his first year with the Commodores, Garrick helped
Vanderbilt advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, and also played a role in Vanderbilt ranking second in
the SEC in field-goal percentage and three-point field-goal
percentage.
Before arriving at Vanderbilt, Garrick spent the past 11 years
coaching at his alma mater, including 2005-09 as the head
coach of the Rams’ women’s basketball team.
“Tom brings an exceptional wealth of knowledge with him to
our program,” Balcomb said. “I know Tom’s vast experience —
as both a player and a coach — will be an invaluable asset to
our program.”
Garrick began his coaching career as an assistant for the
Rhode Island men’s team in 1998-99, helping the Rams win the
Atlantic-10 Championship in his first year. In 2001, he moved
over to the women’s side to work under Head Coach Boe
Pearman.
When Pearman took a leave of absence in 2004, Garrick
was named the acting head coach. He would take an assistant coaching position at the University of Virginia that spring
before returning to Rhode Island in August to become the
school’s sixth head coach.
An outstanding player at Rhode Island, Garrick was drafted
by the Los Angeles Clippers in 1988 and would play in the NBA
for four seasons, including stints in San Antonio, Minnesota
and Dallas. Garrick’s professional career also took the “Ocean
State” native overseas to play in Germany, Turkey and Spain
during a five-year span.
Garrick earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from
Rhode Island, where he was a four-year letterwinner for the
men’s basketball team. Nicknamed “the Chief,” he led the 1988
squad to the Sweet 16, while compiling a program-best 28-7
record. Garrick still ranks among the school’s all-time Top 10
in scoring (1,573 points) steals (189) and assists (407), and was
inducted into the URI Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998.
During his prep career, Garrick was a two-time all-state
basketball player for West Warwick (R.I.) High School, while
also excelling in football.

28

Vanderbilt Women’s Basketball 2011

justin vanorman
Director of Operations
Seventh Season
Oregon State, 1998
Justin VanOrman enters his
sixth season on Melanie Balcomb’s Commodore basketball
staff with a combined role of
Director of Basketball Operations
and Video Coordinator.
VanOrman served in each position for two seasons before
being promoted to a dual role on the staff. His myriad responsibilities include scheduling, coordinating travel, purchasing
equipment, organizing scouting operations, and directing
tournaments and camps.
“Turning over scheduling to Justin was a great move for
our program,” Balcomb said. “Scheduling is a tough task, and
having him take that responsibility has been a bonus for us.
Justin’s commitment to this program has been evident, and he’s
a perfect match for me and our entire staff. He has stepped up
to whatever we asked of him, so streamlining our operations
and video into one position just made too much sense.”
VanOrman joined the Vanderbilt staff in 2004 after coaching professionally in Germany. The Oregon City, Ore., native
brought 14 years of experience with him to Nashville.
VanOrman got his start as a high school coach in Oregon,
but has worked at many different levels over his career. During
his coaching career, he successfully recruited three players
that were honored as Conference Freshmen of the Year, and
was instrumental in the development of four all-conference
award winners. A product of Oregon State University, VanOrman earned his degree in Exercise and Sports Science in 1998.

Coaching & Support Staff
Support Staff
Candice lee

michele loftis

Associate Director of
Student Athletics/SWA

Athletic Trainer

A former four-year letterwinner for Vanderbilt’s women’s
basketball team, Candice Lee
has served as Vanderbilt’s
Senior Woman Administrator and
Compliance Director since 2004.
Lee also serves as an associate
director of student athletics, and
has overseen the operation of Vanderbilt’s women’s basketball
program since 2008. In July she began overseeing Vanderbilt
Student Services.
A former post player for the Commodores, Lee graduated
with a Bachelor of Science degree in 2000. Lee also received
her master’s degree in education from Vanderbilt in 2002. Lee is
currently a doctoral candidate in Vanderbilt’s Higher Education
Administration program.
As a player, Lee helped the Commodores to three NCAA
Tournament appearances after redshirting her first season. Lee
was a former Gatorade Player of the Year in Alabama.
A native of Madison, Ala., the former Candice Storey has
been married to Sean Lee for two years.

tasha weddle
Strength & Conditioning
Tasha Weddle is entering
her sixth season as the strength
and conditioning coach for the
Vanderbilt women’s basketball
team. Weddle also works with
the Commodore women’s bowling,
lacrosse and soccer programs.
A native of Trafalgar, Ind.,
Weddle played basketball at
North Carolina State before transferring to play at Evansville.
She earned her bachelor’s degree from Evansville in sports science in 1996.
No stranger to the Southeastern Conference, Weddle began
her professional career as a graduate assistant at the University
of Tennessee. Weddle’s first full-time opportunity came at Kent
State University. She then worked with the Purdue University
Boilermakers for five seasons before coming to Nashville.
Weddle designs year-round strength and conditioning plans
for each specific student-athlete, ensuring the maximum benefit
to every player.
“Our conditioning program is better than it’s ever been,”
Coach Balcomb said. “The attitude and effort is really high, and
everyone on our team is stronger and more fit. The entire team
has bought into Tash’s system and the results are showing.”

Michele Loftis enters her seventh season with the women’s basketball team at Vanderbilt.
Loftis earned her bachelors degree from the University of
Nebraska at Omaha in exercise science with minors in athletic training
as well as psychology. She received
her masters of science in sports and
recreation management from the
University of Idaho in 2000. Loftis worked with the Vandals until 2004,
serving as the primary athletic trainer for numerous sports.
A certified athletic trainer licensed in the state of Tennessee,
Loftis is an examiner for the NATA’s Board of Certification and serves
as the treasurer of the SEC Athletic Trainers Committee.

vicki spina
Administrative Assistant
Vicki Spina has been an integral
part of the Vanderbilt women’s basketball program since 1995, when
she was hired as the team’s administrative assistant.
Now entering her 16th season,
Spina continues to manage the dayto-day operations of the women’s
basketball office, including event
planning and coordinating Coach
Balcomb’s schedule. Prior to joining the Commodore staff, Spina
enjoyed positions with Delta Airlines, Philip Morris and Hallmark Cards.
A native of Fox Lake, Ill., the former Vicki Jones has been married
to Mike Spina for 31 years. The couple currently resides in Brentwood,
Tenn. They have three grown children — Lauren, Jennifer and Philip —
and two grandchildren — Josie and Michael.

CHRISTY HOGAN
Academic Services
Coordinator
Christy Hogan is entering her
sixth season as the academic services coordinator for the Vanderbilt
women’s basketball team.
Her background as a two-sport
athlete at the University of Richmond
makes her a perfect resource for
Commodore student-athletes. A
four-year starter in field hockey and
lacrosse, Hogan relates to the student-athlete experience like few
others can.
Hogan began her professional career as an assistant lacrosse
coach at Notre Dame before working as an academic counselor for the
Fighting Irish football, softball, and women’s soccer teams, while earning her masters in secondary education at Indiana.
The former Christy Yarnell, Hogan and husband Rex reside in
Nashville with their three children, McKenna, Ryan and Erin.

Fact Book

29

VANDERBILT ADMINISTRATION
NICHOLAS ZEPPOS, Chancellor

Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos was raised in Milwaukee, where
he spent many an afternoon watching the great Hank Aaron of the
Braves slug home runs in the old County Stadium.
Named Vanderbilt’s eighth chancellor in 2008, Zeppos has taken
a keen interest in athletics at Vanderbilt during his more than two
decades at the university.
“I don’t do the operations,” Zeppos said. “I don’t call the plays, I
don’t throw the passes. I see my job as simply trying to do whatever
I can to support all of the talented people who do these things.”
This support has included the endorsement of an athletics capital
improvement plan expected to surpass $50 million, which orchestrates efforts to improve the student experience for athletes and
assists with recruiting.
“One thing I consider the ultimate compliment is when a coach
calls me and says, ‘I’ve got a couple of recruits here. Could you
meet them?’”
A distinguished legal scholar, teacher and executive, Zeppos
served from 2002 to February 2008 as Vanderbilt’s chief academic
officer, overseeing the university’s undergraduate, graduate and
professional education programs and research in liberal arts and
sciences, engineering, music, education, business, law, and divinity. As provost and vice chancellor, he chaired Vanderbilt’s budgeting and capital planning council, as well as oversaw the dean of
students and dean of admissions.
Zeppos has led a number of important initiatives at Vanderbilt,
including the planning process for The Commons, a landmark
transformation of the first-year experience; the Strategic Academic
Planning Group; innovative efforts in undergraduate admissions
and financial aid; and the development of new programs in Jewish

30

Vanderbilt Women’s Basketball 2011

studies, law and economics, and genetics, among others.
In a bold move to strengthen Vanderbilt’s commitment to admitting undergraduates on the basis of accomplishment and achievement, rather than
their ability to pay, in 2009, Zeppos created an expanded financial
aid program. By replacing undergraduate need-based loans with
grant and scholarship assistance, this transformative initiative
opened the university’s doors wider to highly talented and qualified
students of all economic, cultural and geographical backgrounds.
The expanded aid program is funded by a combination of strategic
budget allocations and the university’s Shape the Future fundraising campaign, which under Zeppos’ leadership exceeded its $1.25
billion goal two years ahead of schedule and set a new target of
$1.75 billion by 2011.
Zeppos was recognized with five teaching awards at the law
school before serving as an associate dean, associate provost, and
provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs. He also served
as interim chancellor for eight months prior to being formally
appointed as Vanderbilt’s eighth chancellor on March 1, 2008. He is
a member of the 2010-11 executive committee of the
Southeastern Conference.
In the Nashville community, Zeppos serves on the boards of the
Nashville
Area Chamber of Commerce and the Nashville Alliance for Public
Education.
From 1982 to 1987, Zeppos practiced law in Washington, D.C.,
at the United States Department of Justice and at Wilmer, Cutler
& Pickering, where he specialized in appellate litigation involving
complex regulatory, statutory and constitutional matters.
Zeppos is a 1979 magna cum laude graduate of the University
of Wisconsin Law School, where he served as editor in chief of
the Wisconsin Law Review and was selected as the outstanding
graduate of his class. He studied history during his undergraduate
years at the university, where he was a 1976 Phi Beta Kappa graduate.
He is married to Lydia A. Howarth, a graduate of the University of
Chicago and Lawrence University, who is an editor. They have two
sons, Benjamin and Nicholas.

VANDERBILT ADMINISTRATION
DAVID WILLIAMS, Vice Chancellor University Affairs and Student-Athletics

Few Commodores enjoy Vanderbilt Athletics’ successes more than Vice
Chancellor David Williams II.
Whether supporting coaches and student-athletes, presiding over
important athletic activities, or debating strategic policy changes in
Commodore athletics, Williams plays a key leadership role in the administration of Vanderbilt Athletics.
For the last seven years, Williams has guided Vanderbilt Athletics into a
bold new direction while serving as Vice Chancellor for University Affairs
and Athletics.
Under Williams, the Vanderbilt program has many successes on and off
the field of competition. Williams has directed an initiative to more fully
integrate Commodore athletics into the total Vanderbilt experience.
Today, Williams’ efforts have placed the Vanderbilt program among the
most innovative in the nation. Since sweeping changes were initiated in
2003, Williams has firmly placed his stamp on the program. He has overseen the recruitment and hiring of seven outstanding head coaches. His
tenure has witnessed substantial improvement in academic performance
by Vanderbilt student-athletes. Williams also has addressed numerous facility upgrades, including an extensive refurbishing of Vanderbilt
Stadium, expansion of Hawkins Field, addition of new tennis courts and
renovations in Memorial Gym.
Under Williams, Vanderbilt Athletics have prospered. Since 2006-07, at
least eight sports have participated in postseason action each year. Eight
Vanderbilt athletes have been selected in the first round of their respective sports in the last five years. Off the field, student-athletes’ collective
GPA has reached its highest level in more than a decade. In addition,
numerous teams and student-athletes have engaged in overseas travel.
Athletics is but a small part of Williams’ influential Vanderbilt role.
Williams also serves as General Counsel directing a staff of 14 attorneys
and Secretary of Vanderbilt and its nationally recognized Medical Center.
In addition, he oversees the Office of Risk Management, Compliance
and Conflict of Interest functions, and the operations of the Vanderbilt

University Board of Trust.
Williams’ campus participation also includes a tenured full professorship at the School of Law, lecturing on Tax Law, Sports Law and Education
Law. He has taught a course on Law and Higher Education at Peabody
College, and from time to time, courses in the undergraduate curriculum.
Williams has reached outside of the Vanderbilt community in the area of
intercollegiate sports. Williams served as a member of the SEC team that
negotiated the recent SEC/ESPN/CBS contract, and is beginning a threeyear term on the NCAA Division I Academic Cabinet.
He also serves as a member of the NCAA Infraction Appeals Committee.
Williams was named Vice Chancellor, General Counsel and Secretary
of Vanderbilt in 2000. His role moved toward administration of Vanderbilt
student affairs and athletics in 2002.
Williams came to Vanderbilt after serving in numerous administrative
roles at Ohio State University over a 14-year period. When he accepted
the Vanderbilt role, Williams was Vice President of Student and Urban/
Community Affairs and Professor of Law at Ohio State.
A native of Detroit, Mich., Williams received a Bachelor of Science in
Social Science and Master of Arts in Education from Northern Michigan
University where he was a member of the track team. He also earned
a Master of Business Administration and a Doctor of Jurisprudence
from the University of Detroit, and an L.L.M. in taxation from New York
University.
Before entering law school, Williams spent 10 years as a teacher and
coach in the Detroit public school system.
Williams is active in the Nashville area community, serving as an
executive member and director with several organizations. He is treasurer
and finance committee chair of both the Nashville Symphony Board of
Directors and Nashville Public Television. Some of Williams’ other board
memberships include the Nashville Sports Council, Tennessee Sports Hall
of Fame, Adventure Science Center, 100 Black Men of Middle Tennessee,
the Nashville Rotary and Special Olympics Tennessee.
Professionally, Williams is an active member of the American Corporate
Counsel Association, the National Association of College and University
Attorneys and the American Bar Association. He is a member of
the Continuing Legal Education committee of both the Nashville Bar
Association and the NACUA. As a member of ABA’s Section of Business
Law, Williams has served as a member of the Corporate Counsel
Committee. He held terms on two prestigious legal committees – the ABA
Standing Committee on Public Education and the ABA Section on Legal
Education and Admissions Standards Review Committee.
Williams also is a member of the American Law Institute, and a past
member of the Harry Phillips Inn of Court. He has served on a number of
ABA Accreditation site visits of law schools and has completed a term on
the Membership Review Committee of the American Association of Law
Schools. Williams has written, lectured and participated in many seminars
on topics of tax law, sports law, law and education, and legal history.
Williams was recently elected to a three-year term on the board of directors for the National Association for Colleges and University Attorneys.
Williams has taught at the law schools of the University of Detroit,
Capital University, the Ohio State University and Vanderbilt, and directed
the Ohio State University Law Program in Oxford, England in 1992 and
1995. He was elected outstanding law professor at both the University of
Detroit and Ohio State.
Williams and his wife, Gail, have two children: Samantha, who is a varsity swimmer and rising junior at Brown University, and Nicholas, who is a
10th grader at University School of Nashville and competes in cross country, basketball, track and soccer. His wife serves as the Associate Director
of Community Relations at Vanderbilt, is president of the University School
of Nashville Board of Trustees, and is the immediate past chair of the
Metro Transit Authority.

Fact Book

31

SEASON REVIEW
Noteworthy
11th Straight NCAA Tournament

Statistically Speaking

• Vanderbilt advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the 11th straight
season.

• The Commodores earned the No. 6 seed in the Sacramento Region.
Vanderbilt defeated DePaul in the first round of the NCAA Tournament
before falling to host Xavier in the second round in Cincinnati, Ohio.

• Since 2000, Vanderbilt and UCONN are the only two programs to rank n
the top 20 in field-goal percentage every year.

• The Commodores have won 11 straight first round games.
• Vanderbilt is one of nine teams in the country that has advanced to the
NCAA Tournament 11 straight years.
• The trip to the NCAA Tournament was Vanderbilt’s 23rd all-time.
11th Straight 20-Win Seasons
• By finishing 23-11 overall, the Commodores reached the 20-win plateau
for the 11th straight season.

Marsh Tops 1,000 Career Points
• On Thursday, Dec. 31, 2009, senior guard Merideth Marsh became the
31st Commodore to join Vanderbilt’s 1,000-Point Club. Her ninth, 10th and
11th points of the Notre Dame game put her over the mark at 1:53 of the
second half when she banked in a three-pointer. The Louisville native
finished with 1,332 points in her Commodore career, which ranks 18th in
school history.
Nearing 200 wins

Vanderbilt in the National Rankings
• Vanderbilt finished the season ranked 24th in the ESPN/USA Today
Coaches Poll.
• Vanderbilt is one of four teams — Duke, Tennessee and Connecticut —
that has finished the season ranked for 11 straight seasons.

• With a 195 and 72 record in eight seasons at Vanderbilt, Head Coach
Melanie Balcomb is nearing the 200-win plateau at Vanderbilt.
• Bacomb will become the third coach in school history with 200 wins,
joining Phil Lee (207) and Jim Foster (256).
Staff Helps with Flood Clean Up

Vanderbilt Advances to SEC Tournament Semifinals
• A year after winning its third SEC Championship, the Commodores
advanced to the semifinals of the 2010 SEC Tournament with wins over
Arkansas and LSU before losing to Tennessee.

• Following the devastating flood that hit Nashville in May, Vanderbilt’s
coaching staff lended a hand in the community by volunteering to assist
with flood relief efforts.
Commodores Raise Awareness for Well-Building Effort

Four Earn SEC Honors
• Four members of Vanderbilt’s basketball team were honored by the
SEC’s league coaches following the regular season.
• Junior guard Jence Rhoads earned first team All-SEC honors.
• Rhoads became the eighth first-team All-SEC honoree under Balcomb.
• Senior guard Merideth Marsh received second team All-SEC honors.
• Freshmen Elan Brown and Tiffany Clarke made the SEC All-Freshman
Team. Clarke was a unanimous selection for the team.
Marsh Sets Three-Point Record
• Merideth Marsh broke Abi Ramsey’s school record for most career
three-pointers made and attempted.
• Marsh finished her career with 256 three-pointers on 653 attempts.
• Marsh also finished second in school history with an 84.7% free-throw
percentage.
In the Spotlight
• In the first year of the SEC’s robust television contract, Vanderbilt made
18 television appearances during the 2009-10 season.

32

Vanderbilt Women’s Basketball 2011

• In an effort to raise awareness for the lack of a clean water supply in
Kenya, Vanderbilt’s basketball team encouraged fans to wear blue at
the Commodores’ final home game by supporting the “Well Worth It”
campaign. The campaign has pledged to raise $70,000 necessary to build
a borehold well in the village of Emori-Joi, Kenya.
Rhoads and Puleo Study Abroad
• Jence Rhoads and Angela Puleo spent the month of May studying
abroad in Greece.
Home Sweet Home
• The Commodores finished last season with a 12-4 record at home.
• Vanderbilt has never had a losing season at Memorial Gym and has an
all-time record of 384-89 (81.1%)
• Balcomb has won 83.5% of her games at Memorial Gym.
Four Seniors Graduate
• Seniors Ashlee Bridge, Lauren Lueders, Merideth Marsh and Jessica
Mooney all earned their degrees in May.
• The Commodores have a 100% graduation rate under Coach Balcomb.

Game Recap
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Reserve Tiffany Clarke scored 14 points and
Vanderbilt (No. 20 ESPN/USA Today, No. 22 AP) rolled to a 90-54 victory over Lehigh on Sunday.
The Commodores (1-0) took a 47-24 lead with 1:05 left in the first
half. The Mountain Hawks (1-1) used a 14-0 run to cut their deficit to
47-38 with 18:09 remaining on a basket by Emily Gratch. Vanderbilt
responded with eight straight points to pull away.
The Commodores shot 55.6 percent (35 of 63) for the game, including
61.8 percent (21 of 34) in the first half.
Lauren Lueders added 13 points and Hannah Tuomi had 12 for
Vanderbilt. Jence Rhoads recorded a career-high 10 assists for the
Commodores, who won the Southeastern Conference tournament
championship and reached the round of 16 of the NCAA tournament
last season.
Gratch had 14 points for Lehigh, which was playing Vanderbilt for
the first time.

Game Recap
CARBONDALE, Ill. - The 18th-ranked Vanderbilt women’s basketball
team defeated Southern Illinois, 90-64, Wednesday at SIU Arena.
The junior class led the day for the Commodores, with Hannah Tuomi
scoring 20 points and Jence Rhoads adding 18. The duo combined to
shoot 16-of-21 from the floor. Tuomi pulled down nine rebounds, with
Rhoads dishing out nine assists.
The Commodores used a 15-0 that spanned both halves to take
control of the game. VU led 48-34 at the break, paced by 11 points
from Rhoads.
Teri Oliver led the Salukis (0-2) with 16 points, but shot 2-of-11 from
three-point range.
In the second half, the lead ballooned to as many as 26 points on a
Tuomi layup. SIU would fight back, to get within 14 points, but the
Commodores kept scoring points to maintain their advantage.

Game Recap
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Jence Rhoads scored 14 points to help No.
22 Vanderbilt beat UC Riverside 75-60 on Friday night, avenging a loss
to the Highlanders last season.
Vanderbilt (3-0) took a 20-point halftime lead behind 10 points from
Rhoads on 5-of-6 shooting from the field and six points from Jessica
Mooney.
The Commodores held UC Riverside (1-3) to only one free throw
and no field goals for 8:40 after leading just 21-15 midway through
the first half.
Hannah Tuomi added 11 points for Vanderbilt.
Rhaya Neabors, with three 3-pointers, and Marissa Rivera each had
13 points for Riverwide. Amber Cox scored 11 points.

Vanderbilt scored it to 90 points for the second consecutive game,
marking the first time since December of 2005 that the Dores have
reached at least 90 in back-to-back games.
The Commodores return home to play host to UC Riverside on Friday,
Nov. 20. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT in Memorial Gymnasium.

Game Recap
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- Junior Hannah Tuomi scored 15 points and
pulled 11 rebounds to lead the 16th-ranked Vanderbilt women’s
basketball team past Saint Joseph’s, 59-46, Tuesday at Hagan Arena.
Tuomi was 7-of-7 from the field as Vanderbilt (4-0) led the entire way.
The Hawks did manage to get within two points twice in the second
half, but senior Lauren Lueders would answer for the Commodores
with a three followed by a pair of free throws. Lueders played 22
minutes off the bench, scoring six points.
Junior point guard Jence Rhoads scored 11 points despite getting
into foul trouble early in both halves. She would play only 19 minutes.
Senior Merideth Marsh added nine points and seven rebounds.
Saint Joseph’s outrebounded the Commodores 44-40 despite Tuomi’s
11 and 10 boards from sophomore Jordan Coleman. Coleman also had
a team-high three steals.
Saint Joseph’s (1-3) was led by 12 points and 10 rebounds from
Ashley Logue, but Vanderbilt held the Hawks to 19 percent shooting
from the field.
This was only the second meeting between the two schools, with
Vanderbilt evening the tally at 1-1. Last year, Saint Joseph’s visited Memorial Gymnasium for the 2008 Vanderbilt Thanksgiving
Tournament, but did not play the Commodores. The Hawks went 1-1
against Davidson and Virginia Tech.

Game Recap
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Jordan Coleman scored a career-high 17
points and Vanderbilt (No. 16 ESPN/USA Today, No. 21 AP) scored
21 straight points after halftime to rout Austin Peay 95-51 on Friday.
Hannah Tuomi scored 15 for the Commodores (5-0), who play the
winner of North Carolina State-Northwestern State on Saturday in
the final game of their Thanksgiving Tournament.
Ashley Herring scored 21 points for Austin Peay (1-4), going 4-for-4 on
3-point attempts and helping the Governors take a 19-12 advantage.
Merideth Marsh hit three 3-pointers in the second half, including two
in the 21-0 run, and Jence Rhodes also scored six of her 10 points in
the streak for Vandy.
Marsh finished with 12 points.
Tuomi had 12 first-half points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field,
including six straight points. She tied it 23-23 when she missed a free
throw after a basket and then put back her own rebound.

Game Recap
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Merideth Marsh hit her first five 3-pointers
and finished with 25 points. leading No. 21 Vanderbilt to a 77-71 win
over North Carolina State on Saturday in the championship of the
Vanderbilt Thanksgiving Tournament.
Marsh hit a trio of 3-pointers to get the Commodores (6-0) off to a
quick start, and Vanderbilt held the Wolfpack (5-2) scoreless for
nearly 8 minutes while building a 13-0 lead.
Nikkitta Gartrell scored 15 points for N.C. State, while Lucy Ellison
had 14 points and 12 rebounds and Bonae Holston 11 points and 11
rebounds.
Brittany Strachan scored 11 points, including a tip-in at the buzzer.
N.C. State trimmed a 20-point second-half lead to 73-65 on Gartrell’s
jumper, but Vanderbilt kept the Wolfpack at bay with free-throw
shooting, making 28 of 35 for the game - including two by Marsh on a
technical called against Gartrell.
Marsh, the tournament MVP, had 16 first-half points without missing a
shot, going 4 for 4 behind the 3-point arc with four foul shots.
Jence Rhoads added 12 points for the Commodores.

Game Recap
FAIRBORN, Ohio (AP) -- Merideth Marsh scored 21 points and No.
16 Vanderbilt used a strong second half to beat Wright State 63-46
on Wednesday night.
Hannah Tuomi had 10 points and seven rebounds for the Commodores
(7-0), who led 30-23 at halftime. Vanderbilt then went on a 11-2 run to
open the second half, stretching the lead to 16 on Lauren Lueders’
layup.
Marsh, who went 7 for 11 from the floor and 3 for 6 on 3-pointers, led
the run with five points. She also had four steals.
Lueders’ 3 pushed Vanderbilt’s lead to 49-29 -- its largest of the
game -- with 11:17 left in the half. Lueders finished with nine points
in 11 minutes.
Maria Bennett scored 10 points for Wright State (3-2), which cut the
deficit to 11 on Kanisha Ward’s 3-pointer with less than 2 minutes left.

Game Recap
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tracy Pontius scored 19 points to help
Bowling Green beat Vanderbilt (No. 14 ESPN/USA Today, No. 16 AP)
66-60 on Friday night.
Tamika Nurse made three 3-pointers and finished with 15 points
for the Falcons (5-2), who also upset Vanderbilt in the 2007 NCAA
tournament. Lauren Prochaska had 14 points. The Commodores (7-1)
trailed by 18 at one point in the first half but Jence Rhoads scored
13 of her 17 points in the second half to help Vanderbilt take a 59-58
lead with 3:21 left.
Pontius’ drive got the lead back for Bowling Green and she converted
four free throws in the final 46 seconds to help close it out.
Lauren Lueders scored 11 points for Vanderbilt.

Game Recap
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Jence Rhoads and Merideth Marsh both
scored 17 points to lead Vanderbilt (No. 14 ESPN/USA Today, No. 16
AP) past Western Kentucky 79-73 in overtime on Sunday.
Rhoads had seven points and her backcourt mate Marsh added six in
the overtime for the Commodores (8-1).
Rhoads, who had nine assists, was 5 of 6 from the free throw line
over the final 36 seconds to seal the win as Vanderbilt rebounded
from its first loss.
Amy McNear had 12 points for the Lady Toppers (4-3), including six
in overtime. She tied the game at 62 with a reverse layup with seven
seconds left in regulation. Rhoads missed a layup at the buzzer.
Senior forward Dominique Duck had 17 points for Western Kentucky
before leaving with an injury with 7:25 left, and Arnika Brown had 11
points and 11 rebounds.
Tiffany Clarke scored 12 points for Vanderbilt, while Hannah Tuomi
had 11 and Jessica Mooney 10.

Game Recap
Hamden, Conn. (AP) - Jence Rhoads made a short jumper with 36
seconds left and Vanderbilt (No. 17 ESPN/USA Today, No. 18 AP) rallied from 16 points down to beat Quinnipiac 75-74 on Thursday night.
Rhoads and teammate Merideth Marsh finished with 17 points apiece
for Vanderbilt (9-1). Tiffany Clarke added 14 points and sank two free
throws with six seconds to play to give the Commodores a 75-71 lead.
Quinnipiac’s Kathleen Neyens hit a 3-pointer as time expired. Neyens,
who finished with a team-high 15 points, claimed she was fouled on
the shot but there was no call.
Quinnipiac, hosting a nationally ranked team for the first time in
school history, hit its first four 3-point shots and raced out to a 29-13
lead.
Quinnipiac took a 41-34 lead into the break then scored the first
six points of the second half, but the Commodores responded with
a 15-0 run to take their first lead of the game five minutes into the
second half.

Game Recap
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Merideth Marsh scored 24 points to lead
Vanderbilt (No. 16 ESPN/USA Today, No. 18 AP) to an 84-47 victory
over Tennessee State on Sunday.
The Commodores (10-1) used a season-high 52 points in the first half
to pull away from the Tigers (3-7). Marsh scored 16 in the first half.
Jessica Mooney’s layup with 11:19 left in the first half gave the
Commodores a 22-4 lead and capped a 15-0 run during which they
made six straight shots. Vanderbilt dominated the first half, making 20
of 33 shots for a 52-20 halftime lead.

Game Recap
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Freshman Tiffany Clarke had career highs
with 27 points and 11 rebounds to lead No. 18 Vanderbilt to a 96-83
win over East Tennessee State on Monday night.
Clarke hit 10 of 13 from the field before fouling out to lead five scorers
in double-figures as the Commodores (11-1) had their highest offensive output of the season.
Merideth Marsh added 18 points while Lauren Lueders had a careerbest 16. Jence Rhoads added 16, and Hannah Tuomi scored 14.
TaRonda Wiles scored 30 points and Siarre Evans added 20 and 10
rebounds for ETSU (4-5).

Oby Okafor had 14 points and 10 rebounds for Tennessee State, which
fell to 2-14 against the Commodores.

Lueders’ fourth 3-pointer started the Commodores on a 13-5 run to
start the second half, with Tuomi making it 55-42 when she put back
Clarke’s missed free throw.

Game Recap
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) -- Third-ranked Notre Dame got the two
things Fighting Irish coach Muffet McGraw was looking for most
against No. 16 Vanderbilt: a challenge and a victory.
The Fighting Irish, who hadn’t trailed by more than five points all
season, trailed by eight in the first half before pulling out the 74-69
victory on Thursday before a crowd of 9,149, the seventh sellout in
the team’s history.
It was the closest game for the Irish (12-0) since a 68-67 win at
Michigan State on Nov. 19. It looked for a while as though the Irish
would beat the Commodores (11-2) pulling away, with the Irish opening a 70-56 lead when Skylar Diggins made a pair of free throws
with 3:43 left.
A 13-2 run by Vanderbilt cut the lead to 72-69 when Jessica Mooney
hit a jumper in the paint with 7 seconds left, but Lindsay Schrader
was fouled on the inbounds pass and made a pair of free throws
to put the game away as the Irish improved to 4-0 against ranked
opponents this season.
Schrader finished with 18 points and 14 rebounds for her 13th career
double-double, a school record for a guard at Notre Dame, although
the 6-foot senior plays much more like a post player most games.

Game Recap
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tiffany Clarke and Lauren Lueders scored 18
points apiece and No. 18 Vanderbilt defeated Mississippi 86-72 in the
Southeastern Conference opener for both schools.
Clarke scored 15 first-half points on 7-of-9 shooting, but picked up
two quick fouls about four minutes into the second half and sat out
for more than 12 minutes.
Lueders hit three of her four 3-pointers in the second half.
Merideth Marsh scored 16 and Jence Rhoads had 11 points and 10
assists for Vanderbilt (12-2, 1-0).
Bianca Thomas led Mississippi (9-5, 0-1) with 20 points, while Nikki
Byrd scored 16 points before fouling out with 2:44. Shantell Black
scored 13 and Kayla Melson had 10 points.
The Commodores went on a 12-0 run after Ole Miss took the lead 3-2
on Shantell Black’s 3-pointer, hitting 6-of-7 shots to start the game.
Vanderbilt stretched the lead to 19 points with the help of 3-point
baskets by Rhoads, Lueders and Marsh.

Game Recap
STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) - Alexis Rack scored 31 points to lead
Mississippi State to a 90-76 win over No. 17 Vanderbilt on Thursday
night.
Mississippi State (11-4, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) recovered from
a sluggish first half to win its ninth straight home game.
The Commodores (12-3, 1-1) shot 68 percent in the first half and led
40-37 at halftime.
But MSU opened the second half on a 22-7 run and held Vanderbilt
scoreless for over five minutes. The Commodores made a push
late, but never fully recovered offensively and shot 12 for 34 in the
second half.
Armelie Lumana added 18 points for the Bulldogs. Mary Kathryn
Govero had 14 points, Chanel Mokango chipped in 12, and Diamber
Johnson chipped in 10.
Merideth Marsh scored a career-high 28 points to lead the
Commodores. Jessica Mooney added 12 points, and Hannah Tuomi
and Jence Rhoads each chipped in 11.

The Irish outscored Vanderbilt 22-10 on second-chance points, outrebounding the Commodores 56-41. Many of Notre Dame’s rebounds
came with Tiffany Clarke sitting on the bench with foul trouble, as she
played just 24 minutes, finishing with 11 points and nine rebounds.
Diggins added 15 points and seven rebounds for the Irish and Melissa
Lechlitner added 14 points. Jence Rhoads led Vanderbilt with 18
points, Merideth Marsh added 11 and Jessica Mooney had 10.

Game Recap
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) -- Amber Smith scored a career-high 20 points,
and Amani Franklin had 11 points and 11 rebounds to help Kentucky
beat No. 17 Vanderbilt 63-53 on Sunday for their first win over the
Commodores in 11 years.
Smith scored 17 of her points in the second half and sparked a 21-7
run that erased a Vandy’s 10-point lead.
The Wildcats (13-2, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) shot just 31 percent
from the field, but their defense forced 26 Vanderbilt turnovers and
kept the Commodores to 40 percent shooting.
Junior guard Jence Rhoads had 17 points for Vanderbilt (12-4, 1-2),
which made three shots in the final eight minutes and turned the ball
over 16 times in the first half alone.

Game Recap
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Playing back on their home court, Vanderbilt
coach Melanie Balcomb made sure her shorthanded Commodores
didn’t blow yet another lead.
Tiffany Clarke scored 14 points and Vanderbilt (No. 22 ESPN/USA
Today) handed No. 6 Georgia its first loss of the season, a 66-44
victory Thursday night even with junior point guard Jence Rhoads
sidelined with a broken hand.
Vanderbilt (13-4, 2-2 Southeastern Conference) snapped a two-game
road skid in SEC games to avoid its worst start to league play since
1991-92. The Commodores beat the Lady Bulldogs for the sixth time
in seven meetings.
The Commodores had blown leads the past two games, and Balcomb
kept calling timeouts as they nursed a lead against Georgia.

Game Recap
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Despite having an obvious size advantage,
Tennessee (16-1, 4-0) struggled to stop the Commodores’ outside
shooting as Vanderbilt (13-5, 2-3) hit 10 of 19 from 3-point range.
Elan Brown hit a shallow jump shot with 1:41 left to cut Tennessee’s
lead to 57-55. Glory Johnson, who led the Lady Vols with 17 points,
answered by driving through the lane and hitting her own jumper.
The Lady Vols, who hit an uncharacteristically low 57.7 percent of
their free throws, sank five of their last six to seal the win.
They made the mistake of leaving Merideth Marsh wide open on the
perimeter. Marsh, who is filling in for an injured Jence Rhoads at point
guard, led Vanderbilt with 23 points and hit five 3s. Brown added 10.

Georgia (16-1, 3-1) came in with the fourth-best winning streak in
school history. Jasmine James led Georgia with 10 points.

Tennessee used a 14-0 run to take a commanding lead early in the first
half. Alyssia Brewer grabbed a rebound and hit a layup to put the Lady
Vols up 27-7 with 8:05 in the first half.

The Lady Bulldogs came in with the nation’s fourth-best defense,
holding opponents to 50.1 points and a mere 32.7 shooting percentage. They gave up a season-high in both to Vanderbilt, which just fell
out of the Top 25 on Monday after double-digit losses at Mississippi
State and Kentucky.

Vanderbilt immediately answered with an 11-0 run that included three
consecutive 3-point shots. Another 3 by Brown cut Tennessee’s lead
to 33-29 with 1:48 before halftime.

The Commodores shot 46.3 percent and outrebounded Georgia 39-24,
helping them get 15 second-chance points.
Porsha Phillips scored to pull Georgia to 46-40 with 10:53 remaining.
Then Brown hit a jumper that started a 16-0 run as the Commodores
put the game away. They led 62-40 by the time Jasmine James ended
Georgia’s drought with two free throws with 4:44 to go.
Georgia hit only one field goal in that stretch with just over a minute
left.

44

Game 18
#RV/22 Vanderbilt at #4/4 Tennessee

Vanderbilt Women’s Basketball 2011

But while Marsh hardly missed a shot, she struggled to control the
ball in her unfamiliar role at the point. The Commodores committed 27
turnovers -- nine by Marsh -- leading to 28 Tennessee points.
The Lady Vols used their height advantage inside to score, despite
facing a physical Commodores defense. Kelley Cain helped Johnson
out in the paint with 14 points, and Shekinna Stricklen added 10.
Vanderbilt struggled down the stretch with a bench that’s short
because of injuries and includes three freshmen.

Game Recap
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) -- Merideth Marsh scored 19 points to lead
Vanderbilt (No. 20 ESPN/USA Today, No. 21 AP) to a 61-60 victory over
Auburn on Thursday night.
Alli Smalley had 19 points for Auburn. Her deep three brought Auburn
within one with 46.9 left in the game. Vanderbilt’s Tiffany Clarke
missed an open layup on the ensuing possession giving the Tigers
a chance.
But Keke Carrier turned the ball over and Vanderbilt (14-5, 3-3 SEC)
held on for its 16th straight win over Auburn (11-8, 2-4). Carrier was
injured earlier in the game and didn’t return till the closing seconds.
The Commodores took advantage of Carrier’s absence and overcame
a 36-29 halftime deficit for their third conference victory. Jence
Rhoads added 12 points for Vanderbilt.
Auburn coach Nell Fortner is 0-8 all time against Vanderbilt’s Melanie
Balcomb.
The Tigers had a 53-49 lead in the second half, but they failed to score
in the next 5 minutes. Two 3-pointers by Lauren Lueders gave the
Commodores a 61-53 advantage, but Vanderbilt failed to score in the
last 2:25 of the game.
Carrier limped off the floor with 17:20 to go in the first half. She spent
the rest of the game being tended to by trainers and working on an
exercise bike before returning for the finish.

Game Recap
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Merideth Marsh and Jence Rhoads each
scored 14 points to lead No. 24 Vanderbilt past Alabama, 70-61 at
Memorial Gym on Thursday. With the win, Vanderbilt improves to 15-6
overall and 4-4 in the SEC. The loss drops Alabama to 9-12 overall and
1-7 in league play.

Jence Rhoads, in her second game back with a broken hand, scored
a career-high 20 points for Vanderbilt. Merideth Marsh, averaging
15.3 points, added 11 in the last 15 minutes after missing her first
nine shots.

On a night where both teams struggled to shoot from the outside,
free throws and rebounding proved to be the difference as the
Commodores hit 83 percent of their free throws and outrebounded
the Tide 44-34 to grind out the win in Memorial Gym.

Mokango, a 6-foot-5 senior, hit a jump shot at the halftime buzzer for
a 27-24 lead. She had 13 second-half points to go along with three
blocks and seven rebounds for the game.

Vanderbilt was just 2-of-14 from beyond the arc, but made up for it by
knocking down 24-of-29 free throws, including a career-high 12-for-12
effort at the line from Marsh.

Rack hit a pair of threes in the second half in a 11-2 run after
Vanderbilt had tied it 36-36 on Marsh’s 3-pointer. Vanderbilt trimmed
the lead to two points twice on fast breaks, but Mississippi State hit 8
of 9 free throws down the stretch.

VU finished with four players in double figures led by Rhoads and
Marsh with 14 each. Hannah Tuomi and Jessica Mooney finished with
11 and 10 points, respectively.
With Vanderbilt holding a comfortable 18-point lead with 4:53 remaining in the game, Alabama went on a 19-6 run to get within five point
(64-59) but Vanderbilt closed out the win by knocking down free
throws and controlling the basketball.

Smalley became the 25th Auburn player to score 1,000 points with a
layup early in the second half.

Game Recap
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Freshman Elan Brown scored a career-high 16
points as No. 24 Vanderbilt got a key Southeastern Conference road
win at Arkansas, 67-61, Sunday at Bud Walton Arena.
The game included nine ties with the last coming at the 6:31 mark of
the second half when VU freshman Tiffany Clarke made a layup and
was fouled. Clarke would convert the free throw to give Vanderbilt a
56-55 advantage, marking the seventh and final lead change of the
contest. Clarke scored 12 while senior Merideth Marsh added 11 and
junior Hannah Tuomi had 10.

Game Recap
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Strong offensive execution led the 22nd-ranked
Commodore women’s basketball team to a 66-57 win over Florida,,
Thursday at the O’Connell Center.
The Commodores shot over 50 percent (26-of-51, 51 percent) for the
first time since their Jan. 3 Southeastern Conference opener against
Ole Miss.

Game Recap
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Kelley Cain scored a career-high 19 points,
and fifth-ranked Tennessee rallied and beat Vanderbilt 69-60 Monday
night for the Lady Vols’ fifth straight victory.
The Lady Vols (21-2, 9-1 Southeastern Conference) looked like they
might lose on consecutive visits to Memorial Gym for the first time
since the 1985 and 1987 seasons, trailing by as much as eight in the
first half and seven with 8:41 left. But Tennessee used its superior
size to pound the Commodores inside and beat their instate rival.
Vanderbilt (17-7, 6-5) snapped a three-game winning streak.

Arkansas held an eight-point halftime lead, 39-31, after shooting 56
percent over the initial 20 minutes. The Commodore defense would
hold the Razorbacks to 22 more points on 22 percent shooting in the
second stanza.

VU point guard Jence Rhoads led all scorers with 14 points while
playing the entire 40 minutes. Lauren Lueders had 13 points and seven
rebounds. Merideth Marsh and Jessica Mooney each added nine,
with Tiffany Clarke adding eight on the day before her 19th birthday.

Lyndsay Harris led Arkansas with 20 points. Charity Ford added 12
before fouling out in the final minute.

Florida, who came into Thursday’s game with no player averaging
more than 10 points per game, had two in double-figures as Azania
Stewart and Sharielle Smith each had 13 points. Stewart also had
five blocks.

In a meeting of the SEC’s top shooting teams, Tennessee finished
with a big edge (44.6 percent to 37 percent) to overcome Vanderbilt’s
7-of-16 shooting from 3-point range. The score was tied six times in
the first half, including at 28 at halftime.

The first half featured six lead changes as the Commodores and
Gators traded baskets. The Commodores finished the half on a 9-3 run
to take an eight-point advantage into halftime.

Lueders hit a 3 from the right corner to open the second half and keep
Vanderbilt ahead. The teams put on a sluggish and physical display,
especially when Shekinna Stricklen got a technical foul for giving a
hip check to Jessica Mooney as the Vanderbilt guard came up to her
as the Lady Vols tried to inbound the ball with 14:20 left.

Arkansas held a five-point lead at 55-50 with 8:31 to play on a Harris
layup. But the Commodores scored the next eight points and held the
Razorbacks scoreless for more than five and a half minutes.
After Arkansas answered a Jence Rhoads jumper with a layup by
Sarah Watkins to cut the VU lead to 58-57, Brown stepped up and
hit a dagger three-pointer right in front of the Commodore bench.
Four of VU’s final six points came from the free throw line, where the
Commodores were 14-of-17 for the day.
The Commodores shot 48 percent from the floor and 44 percent from
behind the arc. Vanderbilt (16-6, 5-4 SEC) travels to Gainesville, Fla.,
on Thursday to face the Lady Gators. Florida (12-9, 5-3) won at Ole
Miss on Sunday.

46

Vanderbilt’s largest lead of the game (17) came on a Lueders three
that made the score 57-40 with 5:35 to play. Florida called its final
timeout with just under three minutes to play and would get no closer
than the final margin of eight.

Vanderbilt Women’s Basketball 2011

The Commodores led 47-40 when Rhoads scored on a layup, then
Tiffany Clarke hit two free throws with 8:41 remaining.
Then Bjorklund, the SEC’s top 3-point shooter, finally got going. She hit
her first 3 with 8:27 left. Cain hit two free throws, then Alicia Manning
scored on a layup, Bjorklund hit another long jumper. Cain blocked a
shot, Manning got the rebound and then finished off the fast-break
with a layup to give Tennessee the lead for good at 52-51 with 5:36 left
-- the Lady Vols’ first since 14-12.

The Wildcats (21-4, 9-3), led by Victoria Dunlap’s 19 points, saw their
eight-game conference win streak end but remained in second place.
A’dia Mathies contributed 13 points for Kentucky.

Jence Rhoads led Vanderbilt (18-8, 7-6) with 12 points, but the
Commodores had trouble coping with LSU’s defense. Vanderbilt,
which entered the game shooting 46.1 percent for the season, shot
37 percent (17 of 46) against the Lady Tigers and turned the ball over
20 times. Hannah Tuomi added 11 points for the Commodores and
Merideth Marsh had 10.

Rhoads, who missed two games after suffering a broken hand in the
loss at Kentucky last month, put the Commodores up 51-42 on layup
after an outlet pass from Lueders. Vanderbilt outscored the Wildcats
16-7 when Kentucky went nearly 7 minutes without a field goal.
The Wildcats, who ended a 13-game losing streak to Vanderbilt on
Jan. 10, still haven’t defeated the Commodores in Nashville in 24
years. Dunlap scored 10 points in the first half, giving the Wildcats
their largest lead with her basket at 24-18, and Kentucky led by a
point at halftime.
Elan Brown scored Vanderbilt’s first five points and the Commodores
went up 10-4 on Rhoads’ 3-pointer.

Game 27
#25/20 Vanderbilt at Ole Miss

Although Vanderbilt never led, Marsh had a chance to tie it at 29 with
a pair of free throws early in the second half. She missed one and
LSU started to pull away for good when Jones drained a jumper and
Destini Hughes followed with a 3.

Game Recap
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) -- Jence Rhoads scored 19 points and No. 25
Vanderbilt beat Mississippi 68-59 Sunday for its first win in Oxford
since 2003.
The Commodores (19-8, 8-6 Southeastern Conference) had lost two
of their last three, including a 39-point performance against LSU on
Thursday. But Rhoads hurt the Rebels by scoring 10 of Vanderbilt’s
last 19 points as the Commodores pulled away from a 49-49 tie for the
victory in a game Ole Miss (15-12, 6-8) led for long stretches.
Vanderbilt used a 13-4 run to take a 62-53 lead with 3:12 left and was
never threatened after that. Rhoads scored six points during the run.
Merideth Marsh had 15 points for the Commodores and Elan Brown
had eight points and 10 rebounds.
Bianca Thomas led Ole Miss with 23 points. Kayla Melson added 17
points and five assists, while Kayla Holloway scored 13 points with
eight rebounds.
It was the Rebels’ fourth straight loss and seventh in eight games.

After Rhoad’s jumper made it 37-33, LSU went on a 18-6 run during the
final 11:26 of the game to win with ease. Hightower scored on a pair
of explosive runners during the final surge, when Jones, a reserve,
scored six of her points.
Graham and Hightower gave LSU a quick double-digit cushion to start
the game. Hightower scored five early points, including a putback as
she was fouled, and Graham added three jumpers and a fast-break
layup as the Lady Tigers raced to a 13-3 lead.
Vanderbilt began clawing back when Rhoads started connecting from
outside. She had eight points in the first half, hitting a pair of jumpers
during a 10-2 run that pulled the Commodores to 23-22.

Game Recap
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Hannah Tuomi scored 16 of her career-high 26
points in the second half, leading Vanderbilt to a 71-60 victory over
Florida on Wednesday night.
Tuomi was a perfect 10-for-10 from the field, and had nine rebounds
and a block as the Commodores (20-8, 9-6 Southeastern Conference)
moved into sole possession of third place by a half-game with one
game left. Last season Tuomi suffered a season-ending injury before
the last regular-season game and missed tournament play.
Tuomi’s 10-for-10 shooting night was only the fourth time a Commodore
has shot 100 percent from the field with at least 10 attempts. The last
time a VU player accomplished the feat was Feb. 16, 1993, when Heidi
Gillingham hit 12-of-12 field goals against Arkansas. Wendy Scholtens
and Misty Lamb each had 10-for-10 games in their careers.
Jence Rhoads added 16 points for the Commodores, including seven
in the final minute, and Meredith Marsh added 13 points and eight
assists.
Jennifer George scored 13 points, while Jordan Jones and Steffi
Sorensen had 11 each for the Lady Gators (14-14, 7-8). Sorensen hit
three 3-pointers, including one that pulled Florida within three, 52-49,
before Marsh answered with a 3-pointer.

Game Recap
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Valerie Nainima scored 23 points and hit a
free throw with 10.1 seconds left to lift South Carolina over Vanderbilt
73-70 Sunday in the regular-season finale for both teams.
Meredith Marsh, playing in her last home game for the Commodores
(20-9, 9-7 Southeastern Conference), finished with 27 points including six 3-pointers. Marsh missed another 3 at the buzzer that would
have tied it.
Ieasia Walker had 18 points for the Gamecocks (14-14, 7-9) and hit 3
of 4 free throws that gave South Carolina a 72-70 lead. Kelsey Bone,
a 6-foot-5 freshman, grabbed the rebound after Walker’s miss. She
scored 12 points, including two free throws at 1:07, that gave South
Carolina the lead for good.
Charenee Stephens, who added 14 points, scored eight in the
Gamecocks’ 16-4 run for a 62-55 lead. Nainima hit her first free throw
and Stephens put back the missed second shot to start the spurt.
Vanderbilt retook the lead at 68-67 on Hannah Tuomi’s three-point play
with 1:29 left as the Commodores went on a 13-5 run including a pair
of 3s by Marsh. Tuomi, who had 12 points, fouled out with 1:07 left.
Marsh scored eight points including a pair of 3-pointers as Vanderbilt
went on a 9-0 run after the Gamecocks tied it early in the second half.
But Nainima hit back-to-back 3s to pull South Carolina within 45-42.

Game Recap
DULUTH, Ga. -- All-Southeastern Conference performers Jence
Rhoads and Merideth Marsh led No. 5 seed Vanderbilt to a 65-64
overtime win over No. 12 seed Arkansas on Thursday night inside the
Arena at Gwinnett Center.
Rhoads scored 21 points, including five in the extra period, to lead
the Commodores in scoring for the team-high 13th time this season.
The junior point guard and her backcourt mate Marsh both played
the entire 45 minutes.
Marsh had 19, with her third three-pointer tying the game at 60-60
after the Razorbacks had taken an early lead on Charity Ford’s fourth
three-pointer to open the period. Ford’s three was Arkansas’ only
field goal in overtime.
Ford had a team-high 21 for Arkansas, while Dominique Robinson
added 16 points. The Razorbacks trailed by four points with less than
a minute to play before scoring twice in the last 36 seconds to create
the fifth tie of the game.
Rebecca Silinski added seven points and a career-best six rebounds
as the Commodores narrowly outrebounded the Razorbacks, 40-39.
Vanderbilt shot 38.1 percent from the field on Thursday, beating
their season-low shooting percentage by one made basket. The
Commodores connected on only 37 percent of their shots in a 39-55
defeat at LSU. Now Vanderbilt will get a rematch with the Lady Tigers
in Friday’s quarterfinal, scheduled for 5:30 p.m. CT.
Vanderbilt and LSU have met in the SEC Tournament seven times in
the past 11 years, with the Commodores winning six of those matchups. Last season in North Little Rock, Vanderbilt defeated LSU in the
semifinals en route its sixth SEC Tournament championship.

Game Recap
DULUTH, Ga. (AP) -- Merideth Marsh and Hannah Tuomi each scored
17 points and Vanderbilt atoned for an embarrassing regular-season
loss by beating No. 21 LSU 63-61 in the Southeastern Conference
tournament on Friday night.
Marsh, who made 87 percent of her free-throw attempts in the regular
season, made only 1 of 5 in the final 2:12, including two misses with
3.3 seconds remaining. Allison Hightower’s last-second attempt from
near midcourt wasn’t close, ending LSU’s hopes of playing in its ninth
straight semifinal.
Vanderbilt (22-9) will face No. 4 Tennessee, the top seed, in Saturday’s
first semifinal on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT on ESPNU.
Hightower led LSU (20-9) with 24 points. Katherine Graham added 10.
Vanderbilt made up for the loss with its fourth straight SEC tournament win over LSU. The streak includes a win in the 2007 SEC championship game at the Gwinnett Arena and a win in last year’s semifinals
in North Little Rock, Ark.
In a game of big swings, a baseline jumper by Elan Brown gave
Vanderbilt a 60-59 lead with 3:13 remaining. Marsh’s free throw a minute later pushed the lead to two points, and the senior guard added a
short jumper with 43 seconds remaining for a 63-59 lead.
The Commodores, the defending champions but only the fifth seed in
the tournament, overcame a sluggish start. Marsh hit a 3-pointer to
open the game and LSU scored the next 15 points.

1st 2nd Total
22 27 49
31 37 68

Game Recap
DULUTH, Ga. (AP) -- No. 4 Tennessee notched 68-49 victory over
Vanderbilt Saturday in the SEC tournament semifinal.
The Lady Vols (29-2) moved within one victory of a sweep of the SEC
regular-season and tournament championships, something they’ve
accomplished six times. They’ll play Kentucky or Mississippi State for
the title on Sunday night.
Vanderbilt trailed 45-36 following a 3-pointer by Marsh with 9:17
remaining, but Tennessee pulled away with 11 straight points.
Angie Bjorklund finished with 12 points for Tennessee, while Hannah
Tuomi had 12 points before fouling out and Merideth Marsh added
11 for Vanderbilt.
The challenge facing the smaller Vanderbilt team was obvious from
the minute starting lineups were announced. Tennessee’s shortest
starter, 6-foot Bjorklund, was as tall as Vanderbilt’s tallest starters,
Tuomi and Tiffany Clarke.
Vanderbilt’s top scoring threat, the 5-foot-6 Marsh, was guarded by
6-foot-2 Shekinna Stricklen and 6-foot-1 Alicia Manning. Tuomi was
looking up at 6-6 Kelley Cain and 6-3 Alyssia Brewer.

Game Recap
CINCINNATI (AP) -- Coming out of the sideline huddle at the start of
overtime, Vanderbilt players reminded each other that under the biggest pressure, they’d never cracked.
Wouldn’t this time, either.
Merideth Marsh scored nine of her 26 points in overtime Sunday,
rallying the Commodores to an 83-76 victory over DePaul in the first
round of the NCAA tournament.
Vanderbilt (23-10) had won both of its overtime games during the season, including its opener in the SEC tournament. Marsh, one of three
seniors taking the floor for overtime, brought that up.
“Overtime is about heart,” Marsh said. “It’s a mental game, and you
don’t want to walk away with a loss.”
Marsh became Vanderbilt’s career 3-point leader in the first half,
when she scored 14 points. She hit only one basket in the second half
-- another 3 -- but led the Commodores through overtime by scoring
the old-fashioned way. She had a three-point play and a fastbreak
layup as Vanderbilt ran off the first 11 points.
“I could see my players’ eyes and body language, and I felt good
about it,” coach Melanie Balcomb said. “I had three seniors and two
juniors out there. I felt I had the kids on the floor that could win it.”
In a match between teams with long streaks of NCAA appearances,
no lead lasted very long. Vanderbilt pulled ahead by 11 in the first half,
but couldn’t hold on.

Vanderbilt, playing its third game in three days, couldn’t overcome
the mismatches.

The Blue Demons (21-12) made a comeback behind point guard Sam
Quigley, who sat most of the opening half with three fouls. With the
score tied at 64, both teams missed shots in the final minute of regulation, giving the women’s tournament its first overtime game.

Tennessee’s superior size showed in the first half when its 12 offensive rebounds equaled Vanderbilt’s total rebounds. The Lady Vols
claimed a 9-0 advantage in second-chance points in the opening 20
minutes, providing the cushion for a 31-22 halftime lead.

Hannah Tuomi had 17 points and a career-high 12 rebounds for
Vanderbilt, which is making its 11th straight NCAA appearance. Anna
Martin scored 20 for DePaul, which was making its school-record
eighth straight appearance. Quigley finished with 14 points, fouling
out in overtime.

Game Recap
CINCINNATI (AP) -- No watching and wincing this year. Amber Harris
is taking Xavier places in the NCAA tournament where it hasn’t gone
in a long time.
With each clutch basket, she reminded them of what they missed in
last year’s madness.

The 6-foot-5 forward with power moves and a soft touch extended the
Musketeers’ season Tuesday night with two minutes of the brilliance.
Harris made the go-ahead layup with 12.3 seconds left, and thirdseeded Xavier held on for a 63-62 win over Vanderbilt in the second
round of the NCAA tournament.

Freshman All-SEC
Elan Brown, Guard
Tiffany Clarke, Forward

Down by 10 midway through the second half, the Musketeers (29-3)
let the Atlantic 10’s player of the year take over.

The Musketeers will take a 20-game winning streak into their
Sacramento Regional semifinal against Gonzaga on Saturday, their
season extended by an improbable comeback on their home court.
The Musketeers hadn’t been to the round of 16 since former coach
Melanie Balcomb led them to the Elite Eight in 2001, before moving
on to Vanderbilt.
Back in the building, Balcomb almost led the Commodores (23-11) to a
big upset. Instead, their last two shots rattled off the rim.
Vanderbilt led most of the game behind the steadying play of All-SEC
point guard Jence Rhoads, who had 20 points and seven assists.
Harris missed last year’s tournament while recovering from knee
surgery, and wouldn’t let this season come up short again after three
straight early NCAA flameouts.
Harris scored Xavier’s six points in the final 1:22, all on point-blank
shots off moves to the basket. After her layup put the Musketeers
ahead, Vanderbilt had two chances to win it.
Lauren Lueders missed from the top of the key, and the long rebound
went to Rhoads at the left of the basket. She put up a soft shot that hit
both sides of the rim before slipping off as the buzzer sounded, sending Xavier players into a tearful huddle at midcourt.
“I knew I had to get it up quick because I only had few seconds, if
that,” said Rhoads, who was 8 of 18 from the field. “It felt good when
I released it, but I guess I just shot it too quick.”
Even the Musketeers seemed stunned that they’d pulled it off.
“There was a sigh of relief,” center Ta’Shia Phillips said. “It really
hasn’t hit me yet.”
Credit Xavier’s dynamic front-line duo for pulling it off.
The 6-foot-6 Phillips had 15 points and 17 rebounds, getting the best
of the scrums under the basket. Harris finished with a game-high 21
points, going 10 of 18 from the field.
After her shot fell off the rim, Rhoads fell to her knees on the floor,
soaking in how close the Commodores had come to a third straight
berth in the round of 16.
“That was a tough way to lose,” Balcomb said. “That was one of
those games you hate to see either team lose.”
Xavier looked to be headed for a stinging loss on its home court
because it couldn’t make a 3-pointer, leaving the Musketeers a twodimensional offensive team with Harris and Phillips. Xavier missed
17 of it first 18 shots from behind the arc, with Katie Rutan -- who
set the school’s freshman record for 3s this season -- missing on her
first seven tries.
McGuff left the struggling freshman in the game down the stretch,
and she regrouped and knocked down three in a row, sparking the
comeback. Rutan’s final 3 cut Vanderbilt’s lead to 60-57 with 2:01 to go.

Notable Accomplishments
• Jenni Benningfield was named a team captain for the 2003 USA Basketball
Pan American Games squad that won a silver medal.
• Chantelle Anderson and Ashley McElhiney were teammates on the 2001
World University Games team that won a gold medal. Also working with the
US team were Vanderbilt managers Kristen Carter and Chanell Sutton. Carter
and Sutton worked the training camps in Colorado Springs while Sutton traveled with the team to China.
• Zuzi Klimesova competed in the 2001 World University Games for her native
Czech Republic and won a bronze medal. Her complete statistics were not
available, but she did total 19 rebounds and nine points in a 91-71 win over
Lithuania for the bronze medal.
• Sheri Sam was selected to the 10-member senior College All-Star team
which played an exhibition game against the USA Basketball Women’s
National Team on April 6, 1996. Sam led the All-Stars with 18 points, second
only to USA’s Lisa Leslie with 28, and was the second-leading rebounder with
four.
• Karen Booker played on the 1991 US World University Games team and won
a gold medal. She averaged 5.3 points and 4.8 rebounds a game. She also
totaled 11 steals.
• Vanderbilt players have earned six gold, three bronze and one silver medal
in International competition.

Wendy Scholtens, a 6-4 center from Ft. Smith Arkansas, holds the Vanderbilt
record for most rebounds in a career. She holds a total of 15 Commodore
records, including all of the free throw categories. She was the SEC
Freshman of the Year and earned All-SEC honors three times, while earning
All-SEC Academic Honors twice. She was also selected SEC Player of the
Week eight times. She is the only woman at Vanderbilt to have her jersey
retired. She was inducted into the Tennessee Sports
Hall of Fame in 1999 and Vanderbilt Hall of Fame in 2009.

Heidi Gillingham • 1993
Heidi Gillingham, a 6-8 center from Floresville, Texas, holds six Vanderbilt
records, including an SEC record 131 blocks in a season. Gillingham is the
tallest player in Vanderbilt history. She was a three-time All-SEC first team
selection and was chosen SEC Player of the Week once. She was selected
to the 1993 NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team and was named Sports
Illustrated National Player of the Week. She was also named Homecoming
Queen at Vanderbilt. She was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of
Fame in 2000 and Vanderbilt Hall of Fame in 2010.

Sheri Sam • 1996
Sheri Sam, a 6-1 forward from Duson, La., is the third Kodak All-American
from Vanderbilt. Sam ranks in five statistical categories and totaled double
digits in scoring in 77 games and in rebounding in 22 games. She was
selected SEC Player of the Week once and was a two-time All-SEC team
selection. She was also named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll. Sam was
a Naismith Finalist in 1996 and was named to the 1996 NCAA Tournament AllRegional Team.

Chantelle Anderson • 2002, 2003
Chantelle Anderson is Vanderbilt’s first two-time Kodak All-American earning the honor her junior and senior seasons. She was the first Commodore
to earn SEC Player of the Year honors (2002) and was also named ESPN The
Magazine Center of the Year. She was named MVP of the NCAA Midwest
Regional and was a Naismith Finalist in 2001, 2002 and 2003. As a sophomore,
the 6-6 center from Vancouver, Wash., set the NCAA record for field goal
percentage connecting on 292-404 from the field for a 72.3 percentage. She
is also the VU career leader in points with 2,604 points. She was inducted
into the Vanderbilt Hall of Fame in 2008.

VANDERBILT HALL OF FAME

The following former Commodores have been inducted into the Vanderbilt
Athletics Hall of Fame, which was established in 2008. Vanderbilt’s women’s
basketball program has had an inductee all three years.

The Southeastern Conference’s most historic home for college basketball, Memorial Gymnasium serves as the home court for the Vanderbilt
Commodores. Dedicated in 1952 as a memorial to all Vanderbilt men
and women who served in World War II, the arena was built as a
combination gymnasium and concert hall by the late master architect
Edwin Keeble.

Vanderbilt has ranked among the top attendance draws in women’s
basketball over the years. Here is a look at where the Commodores
have ranked in home attendance dating back to the 1999-2000 season.

Fifty-eight years later, the unique style of Memorial Gymnasium — with
its benches situated on the baseline, a playing court that sits above
portions of the crowd and deafening acoustics -- continues to make
the Commodores’ home a dreaded stop for opponents. “Memorial
Magic,” with its capacity crowds, overflowing student section and
lively pep band have assisted in numerous Commodore victories. In
the stands, fans across Middle Tennessee have helped Memorial
Gymnasium (capacity 14,316) rank among the NCAA’s Top 30 attendance leaders on numerous occassions.
On the floor, Vanderbilt has a 384-89 record at home, winning 81.1 percent of its games. Vanderbilt has never had a losing season at home
and under Head Coach Melanie Balcomb, Vanderbilt has won 83.5 percent of its home games. The Commodores finished 12-4 at home last
season and has not lost more than four games at home since finishing
9-5 during the 1998-99 season.
Before the 2008-09 season, Vanderbilt’s locker rooms, the video room,
the training room and media room were renovated and are now stateof-the-art. The floor was also replaced before the 08-09 season. During
the 2009-10 season, the building received new championship banners.
In 2002, a $25 million renovation of Memorial Gymnasium was completed, highlighted by yet another one-of-a-kind feature. Connected to
the facility sits a new practice gym that includes a three cross-court
playing floor, coaching offices, a donor room and a Hall of Champions.
Other aspects of the renovation included upgrades of the seating
areas, private suites, a new lighting and sound system and a new court
design.

Eight student-athletes have been drafted under Head Coach Melanie
Balcomb, including the first round selections of Anderson and Thomas.

In all, Memorial Gym has been expanded three times. Constructed with
a seating capacity of 6,583, the University saw its first need to increase
seating in 1965 with the addition of two north-side balconies. Two
years later, a pair of balancing balconies were erected on the south
side of the gym and dubbed “The Balconies That Clyde Lee Built.”
Capacity has fluctuated throughout the history of the building. It
reached its highest number of 15,646 in 1969 when 4,000 seats were
added in the east and west ends. When chairback seats in the end
zones and suites on the north side were installed in the late 1990s
capacity lowered to 14,168. Prior to last season, university officials
removed portions of media press row on the south side in an effort to
expand the student section by nearly 150 seats.